


Regrets

by Fmfan1980



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2019-09-27 16:17:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17165192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fmfan1980/pseuds/Fmfan1980
Summary: Sakura gets approached by a woman who claims she will give her one wish in exchange for her regrets. Soon, Sakura discovers things about Naruto that were supposed to be village secrets. But is everything as it seems?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Naruto and its associated works do not belong to me. I'm just playing in the sandbox created by Masashi Kishimoto.

' _Inner Sakura thoughts'_

" _ **Inner Sakura Speech"**_

**A/N:** Made some changes to Sakura's speech. I figured that someone who was raised by Kushina would eventually pick up on her verbal tick. Plus I changed the age of the Sakura who was raised by Kushina to differentiate between the Sakura we know and love/hate.

"Stupid Baka!" Sakura fumed, her hands closed into fists, as she strode off down the pathway towards her home from the Team Seven training ground. Behind her, Naruto was getting up to his feet while rubbing the bump on his head after being hit by one of Sakura's punches. The boy had been making numerous requests for a date in the space of two minutes – all after Kakashi had left them alone, and once Sasuke went "Hn" before leaving the opposite way. Every single time Sakura had said no, to a date. And, to Sakura at least, the worst thing was that Naruto kept on pushing for a date in front of her 'Sasuke-Kun'.

She swore there was steam coming out her own ears as she strode down the pathway under the bright morning sun and clear blue sky. There were some wisps of clouds floating by overhead as Sakura mentally prepared herself for the D-Rank mission the team would be beginning two hours from now.

The pink haired girl felt slightly relieved, especially after returning from the Land of Waves a week ago, 'D-Rank would be slightly better… at least for now. But that battle was something else.' Sakura remembered thinking that Sasuke almost died on that mission, but thankfully he was alive and well… and before long he recovered. She didn't think much of Naruto, believing that he wasn't much help and that it was Sasuke himself who must have knocked Haku out through one of his ice mirrors and onto the bridge.

Thinking about the raven-haired Uchiha calmed her down slightly, and she unfurled her fingers before the look of rage melted away and she stared down at the path. She heard the birds chirping in the sky as a gentle warm breeze passed her by when suddenly, "Sakura-chan!"

And the look of anger on Sakura's face returned. She missed the smirk on the face of the old lady seated on the bench a few inches away after she turned around to face Naruto, running towards her while still rubbing the back of his head.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto stopped and gave her a small smile, "can I at least walk you home? I..."

"No!" Sakura said shaking her head and waving her hands, "No!"

"I'm not asking you for a date, just… I mean…." Naruto scratched his cheek as he chuckled, "I just like you, Sakura-chan. I mean… I'd rather…"

"We're teammates," Sakura said, her heart filled with anger while she was searching for Sasuke with her eyes, hoping that the boy was nowhere nearby in case he saw her talking to Naruto, 'it could make him think that I'm interested in Naruto.' Sakura turned her full attention back to Naruto as she continued, "that's all we will ever be, Naruto. Nothing more."

"But…"

"Get this through your thick skull!" exclaimed Sakura as Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the anger in her tone of voice. Sakura saw that surprise, and a part of her was telling her to power through. That feeling of wanting to power through overwhelmed her Inner Voice, which was telling her to calm down. But instead of listening to the Inner Voice in the back of her mind, Sakura continued, "I. DO. NOT. LIKE. YOU! Do you get that? While we're on missions, I'll be professional with you, and that's it. I do not want anything personal!"

"You… you don't mean that, Sakura-ch…"

"And stop with the Chan," Sakura was now panting as she glared at Naruto who took another step back, "it's Sakura-san. That's all I will ever be to you." Sakura then calmed down and rubbed her forehead while Naruto took another step back, his eyes looked away from her and back towards the ground.

"I can't be what you want me to be," Sakura said as she too took a step back from Naruto, "go home, Naruto. We have a mission later and…"

"Yeah," Naruto whispered, his voice full of hurt. He looked back at Sakura with such a distressed expression on his face that a part of her resolve to stop him from asking her for any more dates cracked. A part of her wanted to run up to him and say that she was sorry, that she was having a bad day, and that she didn't mean what she said. But Sakura ignored that part of her self, she was convinced that she didn't want anything to do with Naruto on a personal level. She saw Naruto step back again before he hunched his shoulders and put his hands into his pockets, "I hope Sasuke-Teme treats you right, 'ttebayo."

And then Naruto turned and walked away. Sakura stared at him before she too turned, only to face a wrinkly old woman with faded blue hair, blue eyes, a silver necklace with a faded rest stone set on a pendant, and a walking stick in her left hand smiling at her with a grin that was missing three teeth. The other teeth had turned brown, some were black, but they were all crooked.

"Sorry," Sakura made to move herself around the smiling Old Crone.

"I came to this world because you called, child," the woman giggled as she stared at Sakura before the latter could take a step. The twelve-year-old girl looked surprised as the Crone continued, "such fire, such anger and hate."

"Sorry, ma'am," the girl said, a chill going up and down her spine as she watched the Crone staring at her through sunken eyes, "I should be going, I have…"

"You called to me, child. Your deep seated rage, your hate… it is like a beacon," the woman said again as her eyes glanced at Naruto walking away. Her eyes then shifted back down to Sakura who was confused, "don't be so confused, Haruno Sakura."

"OK, this is weird," Sakura said, "I have to go, and…."

"I will grant you one wish, Sakura-san," the Crone said as Sakura was about to walk past her. The pink haired girl stopped and then swiftly turned towards the Crone who, with the same wide grin as before plastered on her face, turned towards her, "I am interested in what you have to give me. And in return, I will offer you one single wish."

Sakura chuckled as she stepped back before saying, "okay, ma'am, I'm sorry but you may want to go to the Konoha Hospital, and…"

"You hate the Uzumaki boy," the Crone said as Sakura stopped chuckling and stared at the old woman with a serious look on her face.

"I don't hate him," Sakura stepped forward, "I just don't want him to keep on asking me for dates, or to go on walks with him, or to just annoy me and ruin my day. I want him to stop that stuff. But that doesn't mean I hate…"

"It does," the Crone said, the smile slowly being wiped off her face as she gripped her walking stick tight, "I can see into your heart, Haruno Sakura. I see the hate you harbour for him. I see the rage… such unbridled rage towards him."

"This is crazy…"

"You don't trust him. You don't want him on your team. You would rather he quit so that he doesn't get in the way of your affections for the Uchiha boy," the Crone said as Sakura started to get angry, "but, I can help you with that. You want the Uchiha? You get the Uchiha. You want Uzumaki Naruto out of the way, I can make it happen."

Sakura huffed before she began to turn away. She fully intended to walk away from the woman when suddenly, the Crone said, "I am really here to help you, child. I felt your powerful emotions throughout time and space, I felt your hate and rage towards him through the dimensional veils." Sakura turned and faced the Crone with a look of confusion, and was about to speak when the old lady lifted an arm and the placed her hand on Sakura's chest, "feel it."

And Sakura felt such hate. Such intense hate that seemed as if it was coming from her very self when she thought about Naruto. That hate was combined with rage… rage that she was doing everything she could to suppress. However, all of that dissipated when the old lady moved her hand away. Sakura was panting at the crushing feeling those intense emotions had on her body. She went down on one knee as sweat gathered on her forehead while she hung her head… the pink bangs covering her eyes.

"See…. Such anger. Such hate."

"It… it can't be…." Sakura panted before she looked up at the old woman, "Naruto's annoying, he makes me angry…. He makes me…"

"I can get him out of your way, child," the woman said, placing a hand on Sakura's cheek. "Didn't I just hear you telling him not to bother you again."

"I.."

"Just wish it," the woman said, "wish it, and I can make it come true."

"What… what are you?" Sakura asked shaking her head in disbelief.

"Just a higher being that helps women with what they want," the Crone said, "my name is not important, but know that I have helped many women who harbour feelings as yours across a multitude of universes. Even now, there are those who yearn for my help. They call for me, even many on your world in this universe are calling for me. But you, out of all of them, are the one I chose."

"Why?" Sakura said.

"Because your hate and rage will give me the biggest payoff in this universe," the woman said with what could only be described as a sneer, "my service to you isn't free, however. You have something I want."

"I…" Sakura closed her eyes before asking, "what do you want?"

"I will show you what was, what could have been; both for this universe and for the multitudes of multiverses when it comes to you," the Crone said, "and I will give you your Sasuke. All for a measly price… I want your regret."

"I…."

"I want your regret, Haruno Sakura," the crone said, "what do you have to lose? You don't like the Uzumaki boy anyway, and you yourself admitted you don't want him near you. I mean, does it really matter that you get to see him only at a professional capacity? Come on, I know what's in your heart. You can't stand him."

"Will… will he… will Naruto be harmed?"

"Do you wish him harm?"

"Is that one of my wishes?"

"It's just a question," smirked the Crone.

"I… I don't want…"

"If you wish him harm, then he'll be harmed," the Crone said as Sakura got up to her feet, her eyes never leaving the blue eyes of the old woman, "depends on what your wish is going to be, Haruno Sakura."

"I…."

Every instinct Sakura had was telling her that this wasn't right That there was something very wrong with what was being offered. Sakura was screaming mentally at herself that everything that the old woman had told her could be just an elaborate prank, or a lie. Her Inner Self told her that the woman could just be an escaped mental patient and that she needed to report her to the Hospital.

'I think there's something wrong too, but if she really is just an escaped mental patient then what's the harm in making a wish… as ridiculous as it sounds. I mean, it won't come true anyway.'

Despite every instinct she had telling her to just shut her mouth, Sakura did the opposite. She simply wanted Naruto not to bother her again.

"Fine," Sakura said, "I'm guessing its fake…"

"It's very real," the Crone countered with a smirk, "once you make the wish, it cannot be taken back."

Sakura just stared at the crone who smiled back at her.

"I…." Sakura said, a tiny bit of hesitation on her part as she conversed mentally with her Inner Self that this was probably just a joke. That everything the old woman had said was a joke and that she knew her name thanks to Naruto yelling it out throughout the village when he asked her out on a date before and after missions. She told her Inner Self that the old woman must have heard it some time when Naruto would beg her to walk with him around the village, or go to eat some ramen, or to go train with him alone.

'It's a joke.'

"Fine," Sakura finally gave in to the Crone, "I wish that Naruto would leave me alone so he couldn't get in between me and Sasuke."

"Done," Sakura's eyes opened wide in disbelief when the crone's eyes glowed a bright blue before she slammed her hand onto Sakura's chest.

Suddenly, Sakura saw the world around her melt away. Her heart was racing as she watched the Crone vanish in front of her eyes, the woman seemingly getting younger as Sakura felt something deep within her being siphoned away. And then, there was a bright flash of light that forced Sakura to cover her eyes with both hands.

In the distance, as she placed her hands over her eyes, Sakura heard Naruto yell out, "SAKURA-CHAN!"

A few seconds later, with so much that she was trying to process, Sakura heard a woman's scream. She opened her eyes, only to find herself in a large enclosed space with a door to her left. She spun around in surprise before she heard the scream again, a scream of pain. She turned toward the source, a red-haired woman laying on a pedestal. She was very pregnant, her belly looked as of she was about to burst as two women stood at the edge of the pedestal between her legs.

"Push, Kushina!" the mask woman with grey hair exclaimed.

The woman, Kushina, screamed again as she pulled her head back. It was then, that Sakura noticed the blond man who had his hands on her belly… a section where it was completely black with some sort of symbols branching out towards the rest of her body.

Sakura stared with eyes wide open in shock at wondering where she was, how she got where she was, and who the people standing in front of her were.

"Hello!" Sakura yelled out. But the people in front of her ignored her.

"They cannot see you, nor can they hear you," a disembodied voice said… a familiar voice. Sakura recognized it as the voice of the Crone, but it sounded younger. The voice sounded more vibrant and alive, "I did tell you that once you made the wish, you would see everything that was… that would be, and what could be throughout different times. Now watch, and I will take the price we agreed… your everlasting regret."

"Wait… I.." Sakura stopped when the woman identified as Kushina yelled out a name in pain.

"Naruto, get out!"

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered as her eyes locked onto the woman.

"Kyuubi, stay inside!"

The man yelled, and Sakura's eyes darted towards him. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't place him. But it was the Kyuubi that got her attention as her eyes went back to Kushina.

"The... the Kyuubi?" Sakura whispered. Everyone knew the story of the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago, everyone knew of the damage and deaths the attack caused, and everyone knew that the Fourth Hokage was the one who killed the beast at the cost of his own life. And that was when Sakura realized who the man was; and her eyes snapped towards him.

"Yondaime." Sakura whispered before she looked over at Kushina, "and the Kyuubi? The Kyuubi took on a female form and named itself Kushina?" Sakura was confused, "so… wait… what?" But before Sakura could say anything out loud to herself, Kushina screamed out again before another scream joined in. The cries of a baby.

Sakura stared with bated breath as the Yondaime hung his lower jaw open, his body relaxed with a stunned look on his face.

"You did it," he whispered as Sakura walked over to Kushina; the woman had tears going down her cheeks as the Yondaime spoke, "I'm a father." Sakura looked over at the pure joy on the Yondaime's face as one of the two masked woman wrapped the baby up in white towels before one of them carried him towards the mother. Sakura watched as the woman with grey hair told the Yondaime off when he reached out to hold the baby in his arms. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle when the woman said that the first face the baby should see should be his mother. Sakura stepped back as the baby was handed to a still panting Kushina. Sakura walked back towards Kushina's sweat covered head and looked down at Naruto. The boy was quiet now as he looked back up at his mother.

"You're the son of the Yondaime," Sakura whispered as she watched Naruto's eyes stare up at Kushina, "did you ever know? Naruto, did you ever know?" She watched the grey-haired woman retrieve the baby while the Yondaime walked up to Kushina, excitement on his face, as he thanked his wife.

"Now, let me close the seal and then…"

Suddenly there were the sounds of thuds from behind Sakura. She turned to find the two women falling to the ground dead, and baby Naruto in the arms of a masked man… a Kunai being held to the baby's throat.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered as she watched in helplessly in horror.

"Yondaime Minato," the masked man growled in a tone that sent shivers through Sakura's body, "get away from the Jinchuriki, or else your baby will die."

'Jinchuriki,?' Sakura wondered what that word meant. She looked over at Kushina, and then at the seal on her belly and then at the Yondaime before looking at the masked man again. But before she could think any further, all hell broke loose. In ever growing horror, she watched as Naruto nearly died, she watched as Kushina was abducted, she watched as the masked man extracted the Kyuubi out of Kushina's seal. Sakura felt as if she was everywhere at once. She felt the terror of the villagers after the masked man released the Kyuubi into the village while the Yondaime returned Kushina to Naruto in one of his safe houses. She watched, with trembling hands that covered her mouth as the battle to save Konoha began.

Sakura watched Iruka's parents die, she watched Kakashi and many others sequestered in the forest so that they wouldn't risk their lives. Sakura watched in awe and fear as the Yondaime and the masked man fought – she would be the only one who knew what really happened that fateful day. As Sakura continued to watch, she saw even more destruction by the Kyuubi. And then everything came to a head- Sakura felt herself drawn from all over Konoha to one single location.

And she knew that it was something that would be seared into her mind forever. The twelve-year-old Genin watched in horror as the Yondaime was speaking to his weakened wife – the man was going to use a technique that would seal half of the Kyuubi's chakra into his body… and before long his soul and half of the Kyuubi would be fighting for eternity in the belly of the Shinigami.

"No," Sakura whispered shaking her head as tears fell down her cheeks at what the Yondaime said next.

"The other half would be sealed into Naruto."

Sakura listened in horror as Kushina said that Jinchuriki's were hated by villagers. Kushina begged Minato not to seal the Kyuubi into Naruto, but Minato convinced her it was necessary. He was confident that the masked man had a greater agenda and that he would return at a time when the Shinobi world would be weakened.

"I believe that our son will control the Kyuubi… I know he will," Minato said, pressing his forehead against Kushina's while yellow chains that darted out of her back earlier were holding the Kyuubi at bay, "Kushina, do you remember Jiraiya sensei talking about a child of prophecy?" Sakura listened, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest at the thought of Naruto shouldering such a burden on his own, as Minato continued, "I believe Naruto is that child. I know that the masked man will return, and Naruto will stop him. Our son will bring about a change in the Shinobi world… I know it. I believe in it."

"How can you be sure?" Sakura and Kushina asked, the former with tears streaking down her face.

"Because he is our son," Minato said placing a hand behind Kushina's neck, and smiling at his wife, "because every parent has faith that their children will surpass them. And I know Naruto will surpass the two of us."

"Minato," Kushina whispered.

"I'll be placing some of my chakra into the seal, and I'll place the rest of your chakra into the seal as well… you will see him again, Kushina, when he'll be ready to control the Kyuubi's chakra," Minato said as Sakura shook her head while stepping back. Sakura was numb form the overwhelming number of emotions that were going though her body. And her knees crumbled as she watched the end - the Kyuubi was now smaller since half of its chakra was in Minato... she watched how weak he had become. She saw the ritual pedestal summoned onto teh center of the field they were in, Sakura watched with tear stained eyes as Minato placed his baby boy on the ritual pedestal just as Kushina caughed up blood. Sakura then witnessed, in horror, as the Kyuubi shot a claw out towards the unprotected Naruto.

"NOOOO!" Sakura yelled just before Kunshina and Minato saw what was happening. Sakura covered her lips with her hands, and stared with sobs escaping her lips as a single claw stabbed both Minato and Kushina, the two of them combining what remained of their strengths and bodies to protect their boy. Sakura rushed to the couple as Kushina collapsed on her knees again; the pink haired girlheard the message that Kushina left for Naruto – to eat properly, to keep clean, to study hard, to remember the Shinobi vices, to make friends- not too many friends, but ones that he could trust, and to find a girl just like herself.

Sakura then saw the Yondaime place the seal on Naruto's belly, the dying man, his soul and the Kyuubi chakra entering the Shinigami's stomach, whispered, "Eight-triagram Seal." And that was the end, Sakura was shaking her head as she saw the Kyuubi, roaring in rage, get pulled into Naruto. She rushed to the Yondaime as he fell to the ground dead before she made her way to Kushina just as the Sandaime arrived with two of his personal guard. Sakura, tears blurring her vision, listened as Kushina whispered through shrotening breathes, "his name is Naruto, Sandaime. Protect him.. please… see… see that the people know… Know that he's a hero… the… the… Kyuubi… locked…. In…"

"Kushina," the Sandaime whispered as the redhead took her last breath. Sakura was crying as she watched Naruto start to wail while the Sandaime held him close. She watched as the Sandaime hid Naruto's lineage… his Namikaze name… so that the baby would be protected from the Yondaime's enemies. Sakura watched as the Sandaime told the advisors that Minato chose another baby since his and Kushina's child died during a difficult birth… and that the baby would be given the family name of Uzumaki to protect the family who had to sacrifice their baby. But it was a lie… Sakura watched as the advisors said that the baby needed to be put into an orphanage. She was shaking her head at the cruelty of what she was seeing as the advisors said that even the Sandaime couldn't adopt the child since it would be showing favouritism to his own clan.

Any clan selected would also feel the wrath from the other clans at adopting the Kyuubi child – so that was counted out as well.

Sakura wanted to kill the Council members as she watched them walk away. She watched as a few seconds later, a young Kakashi rushed into the room. He wanted to know if the rumours were true about the Yondaime dying. Sakura watched as Kakashi begged to adopt Naruto since he was the Yondaime's last legacy; but he was denied since he was still a child himself. However, the Sandaime gave Kakashi several objects to hide… including Naruto's real birth certificate that spelled out the names of his parents very clearly. Those were to be his when he became a Jonin or turned Eighteen.

Sakura watched as the Sandaime publicly revealed that Naruto was a hero for being the jailor of the Kyuubi; and she watched at that good intent blew up in the Sandaime's face.

People hated Naruto now. They saw him as the Kyuubi reincarnated, and so the Sandaime created a law that would prevent the younger generation from finding out that Naruto was the Kyuubi container… thus giving him a chance to form bonds with the next generation. Sakura closed her eyes and listened to the voices of the villagers around her whispering that the boy wasn't welcome into their stores or restaurants. She listened as they wouldn't let him shop for groceries or clothes. Opening her eyes, she watched a sullen three-year-old Naruto in front of the Sandaime before being placed into an apartment where he would be living alone for the rest of his childhood.

Sakura watched Naruto's entire life, and it made her sick. She saw kept of seeing the hateful stares from the adults. She saw the children who would play with Naruto being called back by their parents and then told not to play with him since he was a bad influence. She then saw herself, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and a few others playing with Naruto. But when her parents came to pull her away, she was also told that Naruto wasn't a good boy and that she couldn't play with him anymore.

"Forgive me," Sakura whispered as she continued through Naruto's life. She saw that it was Naruto who beat Haku after gaining access to the Kyuubi chakra. And Sakura screamed out in anguish. She was sobbing hard as she watched what could have been. She saw Sasuke walk away from the village to join Orochimaru after being marked by him after the incident at the Chuunin Exams, she saw herself sobbing as she begged Naruto to bring him back. She saw Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba and Choji rush off.

A stunned Sakura watched as Sasuke and Naruto stood on opposite sides of the Valley of the End; Sasuke on top of the head of Uchiha Madara, and Naruto on the head of Senju Hashirama. Sakura was panting, willing the both of them not to fight. She was willing for Sasuke to hear Naruto... for him to come back home to Konoha. She remembered the memory she saw of herself begging Sasuke to stay, she saw him still walk away after knocking her unconscious. And now, at the Valley, Sakura could only hope things would t urn out differently. She heard Naruto try to use words to convince him to come back, but that didn't work. Sasuke refused to return to Konoha. He said that Konoha was weak, that he couldn't get the power he needed to beat Itachi from that place, and Orochimaru was the only one who could give him that power. Sakura watched stunned as Sasuke told Naruto he didn't care if Orochimaru took his body for himself, all he wanted was power.

"Oh God, no," Sakura whispered as the two battled. She watched in awe and fear as the two went at it... it was a brutal fight. She screamed when Sasuke broke Naruto's neck, seemingly killing him only for a red bubbling cloak to envelope the blonde's body; a cloak that began healing every injury. 'The Kyuubi's power,' Sakura then watched as Naruto launched a brutal counter attack.

"You're my friend!" Naruto yelled out, "and if I have to break your arms and legs to stop you from going to Orochimaru, then I will!"

"Loser!"

"Stop!" Sakura yelled, knowing full well she couldn't be heard.

Sakura watched as the curse seal took over Sasuke, changing his body to what looked like a winged demon. She watched as he formed the chidori, and then she looked over at Naruto beginning the Rasengan.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

"Nooo!" Sakura yelled out. She watched as the two powerful jutsu clashed, she watched as Sasuke nearly stabbed Naruto, his fingers pulling back into a punch at the last minute. She watched Naruto about to use his red coloured cloak around his hand in the shape of a claw to slash the Uchiha's face, only to instead slash the raven haired boy's headband. And then the battle was over. Sakura was crying as Naruto lay still with Sasuke standing over him. She saw him hesitant for a second before walking away. Sakura watched the boy she thought she loved walk away from all of them; from her, from Naruto, from the village. Sakura turned back towards the still Naruto as she went back down on her knees.

She looked at his face, and then at his blood stained jacket, and then back up at his face, "wake up, Naruto. Wake up." It would be later, after Kakashi recovered Naruto's unconscious body that the boy would wake up. Sakura was watching as their sensei carried him to Konoha, she heard Naruto whisper, "sorry, Sakura-chan. I failed." And then he went unconscious again. Sakura watched as the team sent to retrieve Sasuke returned days later – Neji and Choji were in critical condition - they were on the knifes edge of death; Kiba and Akamaru were badly injured, Shikamaru had a minor injury, and Naruto was so injured that he was wrapped up in bandages from head to toe.

"I'll bring him back for you, Sakura-chan… it's a promise of a lifetime!"

Sakura watched as Naruto left for a three-year training stint. She watched herself training under the Sannin, Tsunade. She watched as Naruto came back to the village. She watched as they grew stronger together. She watched as they grew closer and closer together; all the while chasing Sasuke. She looked on as Sasuke attacked them – once in the lab of the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru, and the other time in the Land of Iron. She watched as Sasuke nearly killed her, if not for Naruto's intervention.

She watched as Naruto grew from the annoying child to a slightly less annoying young man. But, as she saw in the fragments of images that surrounded her, Sakura watched herself accepting the blonde slowly over time. She saw herself swear to protect him from the Akatsuki, she saw herself defeating Sasori with Chiyo by her side, and she saw herself becoming more confident in her medical abilities.

She also saw that Sasuke was her greatest weakness.

And Naruto was her strength, her rock, the one person who was pushing her to become better than she already was.

She watched images of a future that could never be. She watched herself tell Naruto that she loved him. She watched as Naruto rejected that confession of love… she watched as the two of them argued about that confession after returning back to Konoha from the Land of Iron. But the argument didn't last long, Sakura saw that they had grown too close for an argument to destroy what they had between them. The twelve-year-old watched with bated breath as the teen version of herself and Naruto talked in private about how they felt about each other; they were completely open with no secrets between them.

The twelve-year-old, with dried tear stains on her cheek, watched as Naruto then left Konoha again to train in using the Kyuubi chakra.

And then came the war. She watched as she and Naruto fought side by side with a supposedly reformed Sasuke. She watched as Neji, Inoichi, and Shikaku fell during the war. She watched as the infinite Tsukuyomi was activated. She watched as the masked man was revealed to be Uchiha Obito. She watched as the madman, Uchiha Madara, nearly killed Maito Gai. She watched as Kaguya was revealed to be the greater evil. She watched Obito die. She watched her future self, Naruto, and Sasuke beat Kaguya.. the latter two sealing her away.

The twelve year old saw Naruto saying goodbye to his Edo Tensei father. She watched his entire life, and all Sakura wanted to do was rush up to him and hold him tight. Sakura watched in horror as Sasuke revealed his plans to kill the five Kage and Naruto. She heard herself proclaim her love for Sasuke again before being hit by a genjutsu punch through her chest. She then watched as Naruto and Sasuke… two humans with the power of gods, fought for the future of the shinobi world. She saw the end of their battle… the two of them lost an arm each with Sasuke finally acknowledging Naruto.

And then things branched off. Sakura saw worlds where she married Sasuke and had children…. In some futures she had only one, and in others she had two, or three, and in some case she had five. When Sakura saw her alternate selves with Sasuke… she saw herself happy. And then she saw the multiple futures where she married Naruto. The twelve year old Sakura saw happiness in her future selves. As she watched herself married to Naruto, she felt a feeling of warmth in her heart.

She knew she was happy with Sasuke. She knew she was also happy with Naruto… that latter giving her a warmth though her body. It was something that confused her.

Then suddenly, Sakura found herself in the room where Naruto was born. She got up onto her feet as the masked man, Uchiha Obito, stood still with Naruto in his arms. Everyone was still, even the air seemed still as Sakura walked towards the image of the masked Obito. Just as she reached the man, Sakura spun around at hearing a familiar female voice.

"How was it?" a blue eyed young woman in a red dress, a pendent on a necklace she was wearing glowed a bright blue, said before taking a bite out of a swirling ball of red and blue energy in the palm of her left hand. Sakura stepped back as she watched the young woman step towards the still Kushina. She then shook her head and looked over at Sakura, "well? How did you like traveling the tapestry that is the life of one Uzumaki Naruto?"

From what she said, and from the necklace, Sakura recognized this woman as the old Crone from earlier. She closed her hands into fists before saying, "I want to retract my wish." And the young woman in the red dress chuckled before taking another bite into the slowly refilling ball of energy while her pendent glowed ever more brightly, "please, I thought you were joking.. I thought…"

"Humans are such pitiful and petty creatures," the woman said after she stopped chuckling, "I told you what would happen. But you made the choice… you made the wish."

"I thought it was a joke!"

"What was it then?" the woman said looking at the still image of Minato, "what changed your mind? That Naruto's the son of the Yondaime Hokage? I mean come on, the son of a Hokage's a pretty big deal, isn't it? That why you're changing your mind? So shallow."

"That's not it," Sakura said glaring at the woman, "I know… I know what he's been through now. I know that…"

"Not good enough!" the woman exclaimed with a maniacal grin on her face as Sakura shook her head while whispering that she was wrong, "anyway, it's not like I care what you want. A deal was made, and…" she took another bite off the ball of energy, "I'm going to get everything I want now." She nodded at the ball of energy in her hand before saying, "this is the sum of your regrets. You saw a boy who needed someone, and you weren't there. Awww… that's so sweet."

"I want my life back!" Sakura yelled out, "I want to go back and apologize to Naruto, I want to…"

"Well, you can't," the woman countered, "now, I will have the rest of your regrets… and then I'm off into another universe. But I have to say, I love the taste of your everlasting regrets…" The woman then nodded while tapping the glowing pendent, "it will keep me full… umm… maybe more than a year? Maybe it'll last much longer… your regret is so filling. Anyway, see what happens when you make a wish, Haruno Sakura."

Then the figures started to move. But there was something wrong, where once there was the sound of a baby crying, now there was nothing. Except for a sudden gasp, and then a scream from Kushina, there were no sounds of a baby crying.

Sakura turned around to face the masked man, she wanted to know why the Baby suddenly went so quiet. And what she saw had Sakura's heart stop beating and her body grow cold as she looked down and screamed at the kunai stuck into Naruto's chest. She stumbled back, screaming in anguish as the glow from the pendent attached to the woman's necklace and the size of the growing ball of energy in the palm of her hand increased. It was a sign that the woman was absorbing all of the regret that was going through Sakura as the pink haired girl watched, with an expression of anguish, the body of baby Naruto dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

"Naruto!" Kushina, Sakura, and Minato yelled together.

"You swore to me he wont be harmed!" Sakura yelled looking back at the woman.

"He didn't feel a thing," the woman chuckled as Sakura was about to leap at her in anger.

"Minato sensei!" Sakura snapped her head towards the stunned look on Minato's face before looking back at Obito as he took off his mask and dropped it to the floor.

"O… Obito? Why?" an anguished Minato exclaimed.

"Because you were not there to save her!" Obito yelled out before he moved so fast that the still stunned Minato didn't see him until it was too late, and a Kunai was impaled into the Yondaime's chest. Sakura yelled out as Obito hissed into Minato's ear, "I don't blame Kakashi… that idiot wasn't a master of seals. You were. You killed Rin since you weren't there to make sure that the Sanbi was sealed away, so I kill your son, and now I will leave your wife to die after I extract the Kyuubi."

"No," Minato whispered, blood trickling down the sides of his mouth, "Obit…"

"Die."

Sakura and Kushina screamed in anguish as the kunai was twisted before being pulled out and then impaled back into Minato's stomach, and then into his side."

"Obito!" Kushina yelled as the mysterious woman laughed while eating the growing energy ball in her hand.

"Please, stop this!" Sakura begged the woman, "please! I'm begging you. I will do anything… anything! STOP THIS!"

"I have all I want from you, Haruno Sakura," the woman said as Kushina screamed after Obito released the seal. "So much regret, so much that it would keep me sustained for a very long time before I have to go feed again. Goodbye." The woman faded as Sakura looked back at Kushina who was screaming in pain.

"Come on out, KYUUBI!"

"No!" Sakura, eyes opening wider in ever growing horror, yelled as everything around her suddenly flashed white.

**Fourteen Years later, Uzushigakure.**

"Sakura-chan!"

A fourteen-year old Haruno Sakura formed a smile on her face at hearing the female voice yelling her name as she lay on the grass covered hilltop with the bright blue sea in the distance. She could hear the sounds of the many natural whirlpools far off in the distance as well as hear the waves gently crashing against the long stretch of beach nearby, all while she rested her head on the grass covered ground. As she listened to the soothing noises of the sea, Sakura was pointing up at the wisps of clouds floating overhead. "Ramen," she chuckled at a particular cloud that had the shape of a giant bowl, with wisps of cloud branching out the top in the shape of ramen noodles.

Sakura watched another cloud float past in the shape of a horse, and then a pig, and then she could swear she had seen one that looked like a shuriken. Hearing the voice of the female calling out to her, Sakura closed her eyes as she breathed in and out, in and out. It wasn't that she was angry at being called by the woman, she was her sensei and the woman - someone she considered to be her adopted mother - who saved her life after all. It was just that Sakura was tired of carrying the burden of being the one who could very well stop the ongoing war; a war that had already killed over three million in three years.

'I was too young to remember how it all began in Konoha,' Sakura thought to herself as she stared up at the clouds, her black shirt and trousers partially torn in several places after her latest attempt at a jutsu that was developed by the Niidaime Hokage of Konoha, and then improved on by the Yondaime Hokage - the dead husband of her sensei and saviour, someone who had been a mother to her since she lost her parents when the Kyuubi completely and utterly destroyed Konoha itself. It would be when she was six years old that she began training to become a shinobi like her Uncle Kakashi and Gai. More than that, it was Namikaze Kushina herself who told Sakura later in life that the pink haired girl could be a person instrumental in wining the war that she knew was coming.

And sure enough, it was three years ago that the Fourth Great Shinobi was declared by Uchiha Obito after he gained control of eight of the nine tailed beasts. Sakura heard this story many times, she knew her sensei was once the Jinchuriki for the Kyuubi, she knew about her sensei witnessing the death of her baby and her husband at the hands of a boy she thought was dead… a boy who was so consumed in anger and sorrow that he destroyed everything that meant anything to him.

Sakura heard stories about Konoha. She heard about the people, the places, and the Will of Fire. Oh how she wanted to see the great stone faces on the Hokage Mountain… faces that were now shattered into piles of rock after the Kyuubi destroyed everything. Sakura still remembers the story of how she was found, 'sensei was badly weakened and injured, but she managed to return to Konoha. She saw the destruction in front of her, she heard the screaming from the many injured everywhere around her… she smelled the blood and death in the air.' Sakura remembered hearing about how her sensei, Namikaze Kushina, walked into the destroyed village will tears in her eyes... tears that streaked down her cheeks as she limped onwards. She saw so many dead that day, and the ones that were injured were about to die from critical injuries. She continued on, eventually finding the body of Uchiha Mikoto and several members of her extended family as well as her husband.

And then, she was met by a slightly injured Kakashi - the boy had his Sharingan ripped out of his left eye socket, Kurenai, Asuma, and several of the other young Genin and Chuunin who were far away from the destruction. They were protected behind a barrier jutsu when the Kyuubi first appeared and began its attack on Konoha. They were only free off the barrier jutsu because the debris from the destruction caused by the Kyuubi spread outwards towards their location and shattered the trees with the barrier seals. Once they were free, they returned to the village - but not before Obito appeared before a suprised Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai before ripping out the eye he had given Kakashi - to find their village destroyed. It was then that they met with Kushina. It was Kushina who ordered them to find survivors, it was she who suggested that they needed to leave Konoha.

Sakura, as she remembered the story as told by Kushina, was found as a baby wailing in the arms of her dead mother while her father lay close by… his body was pale. He was impaled by a metal pipe while Haruno Mebuki, a former classmate and friend of Kushina's, was partially crushed by flying debris that crashed onto her. It was Kushina who found Sakura wailing, it was Kushina who comforted her, and it was Kushina who made sure she was healthy and fed. After all, Kushina watched her own baby murdered earlier that night, and there was no way in hell that she was watching another baby die.

Eventually, out of a village of over three hundred thousand, there were only three thousand survivors – out of that, there were fifty two shinobi including Kakashi. With the hidden village wiped off the map, Kushina suggested that there was only one pace they could go to recover and be safe, at least for the time being.

Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools; the destroyed home of the Uzumaki Clan.

That's where Sakura and the other children who were saved that day grew up while the adults slowly rebuilt the village. It was in Uzu that she was educated, where she was trained by Kakashi, Asuma, and the others. Uzu was where Kushina discovered that the pink haired girl had low reserves of Chakra – something that would be increased in time – but exceptionally fine chakra control. Kushina and Kakashi were surprised that Sakura, when she started basic training at six with the other children, was able to walk up trees and walk on water with only Chakra without any instructions. It was as if she was doing it on instinct alone.

When she was seven, it was found that Sakura was highly intelligent based on IQ tests and written exams that were given to the children by Kushina and the other Konoha chuunin and Jonin when . they began their own small Academy. In regards to her adopted daughter, Kushina was very well aware that paper tests rarely translated into practical skills. Sakura didn't have a bloodline-limit, nor a clan to her name, nor any jutsu's that she could call her own. But Kushina knew that Sakura had the drive to be better than she already was from the moment the pink haired girl learned about ninjutsu. So, while Kushina was already Sakura's adoptive mother - the woman known as the Red Hot Habanero took on Sakura as her ninja apprentice. Sakura would train and study with her friends - Hinata, Choji, Kiba, and many of the other children who survived Konoha's destruction - during the day; and at night she would have one-on-one intensive training with Kushina herself.

By the time she was nine years old, Sakura increased her chakra capacity and reserves and was already proficient in taijutsu with help from Gai, Kakashi, and Kushina. Sakura also had help from the recently returned Senju Tsunade, thus the pink haired girl was able to utilize her chakra control in many 'unique' ways together with her Taijutsu. She also learned a few Ninjutsu techniques related to her nature affinities of Earth and Water; and was about to begin training in Genjutsu with Kakashi and Kurenai.

**Four Years ago.**

It would be when she was ten years old that Kushina, the wife of the late Yondaime Hokage and Konoha's Yellow Flash, presented the pink haired girl with a certain keepsake.

"Sensei," Sakura had said four years ago, wonder in her voice, looking down at the three pronged Kunai in her hands. She was on her knees in front of Kushina as she stared at the silver kunai before looking up into the red haired woman's violet eyes, "this is…"

"One of Minato's Hiraishin markers," Kushina said, her eyes focused on the kunai before looking at Sakura, "in a few years the war will be coming here, Sakura. We've already taken refugees from Kiri and Kumo, as well as some of the smaller villages in the Lands of Fire, Lightning, and Wind. All the refugees spoke the same; beings calling themselves White Zetsu's that could absorb the chakra of both Shinobi and ordinary people nearly destroyed towns and hidden villages. The frightening thing is that they can literally become people from teh village they are infiltrating and cause unimaginable destruction. The destruction they can cause… or rather have caused… is immense."

"But the seals surrounding Uzu should be able to discern flesh and blood from these… ummm… White Zetsu's?"

"We've already had forty Zetsu's killed when they tried to come through the barrier seals surrounding the island," Kushina confirmed, "we're safe for now. But, according to Jiraiya-sama, the biggest danger is still Obito; if we can remove his control of the Tailed Beasts, then we can have them aid us in killing him and the Zetsu's."

"But the tailed beasts are monsters," Sakura said.

"I've been thinking a lot about that," Kushina sighed before she looked out her window at the deep blue sea, "when Uchiha Madara first gained control of the Kyuubi and then used it to attack the Shodai Hokage, he usurped the will of the beast."

"A Sharingan can control the tailed beasts," Sakura said as she remembered her studies, "as can anyone using a Mokuton jutsu. But knowledge of that Jutsu died with the Shodai-sama, not even Tsunade-sama, a Senju, has access to that jutsu. And Tenzo-san can used Mokuton Jutsu… but he's only one man and there is no way to know if he can access the more advanced Mokuton abilities."

Kushina then continued after nodding her head.

"My ancestor, Uzumaki Mito, sacrificed herself to become the Kyuubi's first Jinchuriki,,," Kushina said before her head turned to look back at Sakura kneeling on both knees in front of her, "and then I was the human sacrifice that was supposed to keep the beast locked away." Kushina then hung her head as she fought the tears that were threatening to gather as she remembered Obito's betrayal. Kushina sniffled before looking back up at a concerned Sakura who placed the kunai on the floor next to her, and then shimmied forward before hugging Kushina tight.

"I wish I met him, you know," Sakura whispered in her ear, "Naruto I mean. I wish I met him. Maybe we could have been good friends."

"Me too," Kushina whispered as she held onto the hug for a few more seconds before pulling back. She took in a deep breath before continuing with her previous chain of thought, "can you imagine, Sakura, you were once free to move and live as you chose. But then you are forced to be controlled against your will, and then you were locked away for years. Years upon years, how would you feel?"

"I would be angry… I would hate everyone… I would…" And Sakura suddenly realized something, "the Kyuubi's supposed to be the most powerful of the tailed beasts, and it was locked away for so long against its will. The hate it has for Mito-sama, the Uchiha, and the Shodai…. And you… that hate spilled onto humanity itself. It's hate surpassed all the other tailed beasts because of how powerful it was."

"That's why, after Obito is defeated, the tailed beasts will be freed… but there is a danger that they will turn on humanity," Kushina said, "I intend to make them an offer."

"Sen…"

"To give them their freedom," Kushina said, "in return for taking me."

"Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, "that's…"

"I will ask them to aid us in destroying the white Zetsu army," Kushina said, "in return, I will agree to go with them so that they can tear me apart if they…"

"You're talking…"

"I will shoulder their hatred for humanity, Sakura," Kushina said in a serious tone of voice, "I know I am the last Uzumaki. I've already made arrangements in regards to what will happen when I'm gone."

"Kushina-sensei… you…"

"I've lived through two wars, Sakura," Kushina said, "I want there to be peace for your generation. That's why I want you to unlock the Hiraishin's secrets… that was something that Minato was able to do which I could not. But I know that you can… you're the smartest person I know… and you have the will and the drive to unlock it. I know you'll be the key in ending this war. At the same time, I will take you out of your genjutsu lessons and begin teaching you sealing techniques; techniques that Kakashi and Jiraiya-sama will expand on after I'm gone."

"Please, don't…" Sakura felt the tears fall down her cheeks as Kushina reached out and gently lay her hands on her cheeks, "you can't talk like that. I lost… I lost my parents and now… now I can't… lose you."

"And you will endure," Kushina whispered gently, "you have the Will of Fire, as does all the shinobi and civilians who moved here from Konoha. Uzu is Konoha's spiritual successor, and I know in my heart that everyone here will defend the village and pass the Will of Fire down to the next generation, and the next, and the next; to love, cherish, and protect the village." Kushina hugged Sakura once again, the younger pink haired girl silently crying on the redhead's shoulder, "I know you can do this, Sakura. I have faith that you can inspire Hinata, Choji, and the others in the battle to come, and in the future peace that we hope to create."

And all Sakura could do was nodded her head silently.

**Present day.**

"Sakura-chan, where are..." Sakura giggled before she pushed herself up on her elbows and then moved her head back with a wide grin on her face at the sight of the middle-aged redhead making her way towards her. The red-haired woman was shaking her head with an excited look on her face as she yelled out, "there you are! We lost your chakra signature for a little while there, 'ttebane!"

"It could be an after-effect of the space-time jutsu 'ttebane, Sensei!" Sakura said as she slowly got up to her feet, in her excitement she didn't notice saying out the verbal tick she picked up from Kushina. Kushina chuckled at the Sakura's verbal tick before she noticed the tears on the pink haired girl's shirt; there were tears on the parts that covered her abdomen, shoulders, her collar, even her leggings were torn in various places. Then there were the cuts on her upper and lower arms and the cut on her left cheek that were still red – but luckily, Sakura wasn't bleeding profusely. Despite the minor injuries, Sakura grinned as she spoke, "I did it though, 'ttebane. Hiraishin without the need for a kunai… well, not really anyway.. Using my own chakra as markers is kinda different, and there's a weird feeling, 'ttebane."

Kushina grinned at the girl who, long ago, she had accepted as a daughter she never had. Gently, Kushina placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"You did good, Sakura," Kushina pulled back and looked into Sakura's eyes, "I'm proud of you, 'ttebane."

"Thank you, Sensei," Sakura gave Kushina a bow before standing up straight, "I still have some work to do though."

"That you managed to move from the training ground on the other side of the island to here on your first try is amazing, 'ttebane," Kushina said, "but yea…" Kushina eyed Sakura's injuries again before continuing, "we'll need to make sure you don't get injured when entering the space-time tunnel that'll move you from one location to another, 'ttebane. I'll have Kakashi train with you on using the Hiraishin with combat techniques – just like Minato once used to, 'ttebane."

Sakura nodded her head when suddenly there was a puff of smoke to their left. The two of them turned around, with them waving their hands to dissipate the smoke, only to find an orange and blue toad looking back up at the two of them.

'Jiraiya-sama's summons… although I don't know the name of this guy…' Sakura then shuddered slightly, 'Gods, toads are still disgusting, 'ttebane!.'

"Kushina-sama," the toad said turning towards the Redhead, "Jiraiya sent me ahead with a warning."

"What warning?" Kushina asked.

"Jiraiya's spy network has collapsed. Just before he sent me, he told me that he is being chased by the Uchiha traitor's minions and is unable to confirm if he will make it to Uzu."

"No," Sakura breathed in shock while Kushina's eyes were wide open in surprise.

"In the event he cannot, he sent me to warn you that the Uchiha has collected all nine tailed beasts." Sakura and Kushina looked at each other in surprise before looking back to the messenger toad, "he is massing his forces… including over five hundred thousand White Zetsu's in what remains of Konoha."

"That…." Kushina shook her head at the image of Obito using the ruins of their old home to launch an attack, "that bastard."

"How long?" Sakura asked, her heart beating hard in her chest.

"Obito has already sent an advance force… the ones chasing Jiraiya. And they should be here in a day at the speed that're going."

"They'll try to weaken our defences," Kushina said looking out at the whirlpools in the distance, "and then the main force with nine tailed beasts will attack."

"And Jiraiya still does not know how to distinguish between human shinobi, and any shinobi being impersonated by the white zetsu army," the toad explained, "and… and his final message before sending me was to have you and any other seal-master begin preparations for an all-out assault by the Zetsu's." Kushina nodded her head.

"The barrier jutsu will kill the ones that try to come through," Kushina mused, "but if the Zetsu's try to overwhelm us by sheer numbers…"

"They can break through," the toad said as Sakura looked down at the ground. She knew there wasn't much time left; this was do or die now. And she had no intention of dying, not yet.

"Thankfully the barrier has prevented Obito from using his space-time teleporting technique," Kushina whispered, "that's the only reason we survived for so long." Kushina then looked over at Sakura, "and soon, we'll have another reason."

Sakura's face turned red with embarrassment before she chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head.

Kushina chuckled before turning back towards the messenger Toad, "go, tell Fukusaku-sama that the toads need to try and reverse summon Jiraiya-sama."

"They have tried, but there is a jutsu in place that has been preventing any reverse summons," the toad said. Kushina nodded her head before asking the toad how far Jiraiya was from the advanced force chasing him.

The toad tilted his head while looking up towards the frowning Kushina. The toad guessed what she was about to ask, and so her relayed the next message as he thought about what Jiraiya had said just before being sent to Uzu.

'Kushina's a firecracker, she'll want to send someone to get me back to Uzu," Jiraiya had earlier said and then chuckled before continuing, "tell her it's too risky. She needs to spend what little time we have left preparing for war. Tell her that, okay?"

The toad nodded his head at Jiraiya before being sent over to Kushina, which is where the toad relayed the final part of the message, "he wants no rescue. It's too risky," the toad said to a scowling Kushina while Sakura looked on, "he said that the war will be here by tomorrow, and all of you should be prepared."

"Where. Is. That. Pervert," Kushina growled. The toad and Sakura could swear that Kushina's eyes were full of literal fire while she reached down and picked up the toad whose legs were flopping about in fear of the killing intent from the redhead, "talk!"

"North… North West that way," the toad stuttered, pointing towards the direction of the Land of Fire, as Kushina narrowed her eyes.

"How far away from the advanced force is he?"

"Three… three hours," the toad said before Kushina calmed down. The Toad Sannin was a perverted lecher, but there was no way she was letting the man who would have been Naruto's Godfather, and a man who was once Minato's Sensei die alone out there in the Land of Fire as he made his way to Uzu.

Kushina turned here scowl into a grin before cheerfully saying, "now was that so hard?" Sakura gave Kushina a deadpanned look as the Toad dropped to the ground before leaping away from the redhead who was now laughing while rubbing the back of her hair.

Sakura guessed what her sensei was thinking, and she hoped that she was ready for it. The first true long-range test of the Hiraishin was a success; she felt her chakra was steady, she did have some injuries but they were just scrapes and cuts… easily handled away. However, she was hungry. And just as Sakura thought about her hunger, her stomach growled. Kushina and the toad looked over at her before the pinkette sheepishly apologized. Kushina chuckled before turning back towards the Toad and said that they were bringing Jiraiya back to Uzu.

"My Ninja are ready," Kushina said before looking over at Sakura with a look of pride, "Jiraiya-sama's in for one hell of a surprise." The redhead smiled at Sakura before turning away and looking back at the toad, "we may need reinforcements though. Tell the other toads, especially Gamabunta, that we'll need oil and fire. A lot of oil and fire," Kushina said before the messenger toad vanished with a loud 'poof'.

Kushina then looked over at Sakura, "I'll inform Kiba and Hinata about the mission. Grab some lunch, and then rest up before you have to leave in an hour, 'ttebane." Sakura nodded her head when Kushina said, "I have faith in you, Sakura."

Kushina then shunshined away, leaving Sakura standing on the grass by herself. She then turned to look back at the beach before she sighed and then turned, with her back to the sea, and strode towards the buildings in the distance. She was exhausted, sweaty, dirty, and hungry… very hungry. But she had to relax before the mission; she needed to eat first before going back to her room and putting on the standard armour for all Uzu forces.

As she walked towards a small stall in the distance marked as one of the two branches of Ichiraku Ramen, Sakura rubbed her ears when she heard a buzzing sound. She could smell the scent of the soup and barbequed pork from the ramen stall, all well as the scent of cakes being baked, followed by so many other foodstuff as she took several more steps before she suddenly stopped upon hearing a voice.

" _ **Sakura!"**_

Sakura turned around and scanned the area with her eyes for people who were nearby. The only people around were the ones eating at the ramen stall, and the other stalls next to it. There were people in the various three storey buildings in the distance, but they were too far away to account for the voice that just seemed to speak into her ears again.

" _ **Sakura! It's me…. Can you hear me? It's your Inner!"**_

"I must be going crazy, 'ttebane," Sakura whispered shaking her head as she turned left and eyed the distant sushi shop, "Kurenai-sensei always did say that too much ramen was bad for a body. Maybe I've had too much ramen and now I'm hearing things. Yeah… that's got to be it, and…"

" _ **You aren't crazy, dummy,"**_ the voice, calling itself Inner, yelled out from the back of her mind. The force of the yell had Sakura put her hands over her ears while she bent down _ **, " Anyway, listen to me… I'm your Inner…. I've been with you ever since you were a child… I manifested after a bad incident when you were bullied at the Academy. Do you remem… oh no… of course you don't. That stupid hag… hell… she changed reality! Hold on, I had to hide our memories of… you know… our life before the white-out. Hold on…. Okay… hold on!"**_

"What are you talking about…." Sakura yelled out as she stood up. It was then she realized that she had screamed out words to herself, and was worried that people listening to her would think she was crazy. 'Maybe I am going crazy. Maybe I'm too stressed out… yeah… that's it… I'm too stressed out." Sakura was sweating bullets as she made her way towards a path that would get her past several building towards the residence of the head of the Uzumaki clan – Kushina's home.

All the while Sakura was thinking she was going crazy, she passed the sushi store when her stomach growled in hunger. She stopped, shook her head, and then ran back towards the shop. She was too hungry, she needed to eat something. As she was looking over the different type of Sushi items, the pink haired girl failed to notice the dark-haired boy with dark blue shirt and shinobi pants walking past her with a pink haired girl next to him. The girl had her hands behind her back as she leaned forward so that she could meet his eyes.

As Sakura picked up some Hamachi rolls and placed them into a container before she reached for some tuna belly, and then a bowl of edamame, and then some futomaki. She then closed the container in her hand before making her way to the cashier. As she made her way, Sakura walked past a blonde haired boy in a bright orange jacket. It was the jacket that caught her attention, and then she looked up to find herself looking into eyes of the deepest blue. She then noticed the three whisker marks and the wide grin as he rushed past her.

Sakura turned around, her eyes locked onto the boy as he rushed past, and was about to call out to the him when she stopped, and her eyes opened wide. She found herself not looking out the front window towards the distant blue coloured sea… instead she was standing on a bridge as she watched the blonde running towards a dark haired boy who, she had to admit was handsome as well, and then she caught sight of a girl in a red qipao dress who looked so much like her.

Sakura was breathing hard, her hands shaking at what she was seeing when her eyes went towards the blonde boy. She gulped as she thought about those deep blue eyes and smile, as if she had seen them before somewhere. She felt as if her stomach was doing flips as she hoped the boy, whoever he was, would turn around so that she could see his eyes and grin again. Sakura had to admit that the blonde was handsome, but there was something about him that was so familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it.

Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head, 'just the stress. That's all. And soon we''ll be at war… so yea… it's the stress. Just the stress, 'ttebane.' Opening her eyes again, Sakura once again was staring out at the distant sea before turning around to pay for the products in her hand.

**Sakura's Mindscape.**

The Inner Sakura was staring at a large metallic door that was covered in chains, and each chain had a padlock. Even on the door itself, there were locks on the left side. Inner Sakura frowned when she looked down at the keys in her hand before sighing as she looked back up at the locks on the chains and on the door.

' _When I guessed what was going to happen with the hag, just before everything went all white-out on us after that Obito bastard killed Naruto when he was a baby,'_ Inner Sakura thought to herself without making her voice known to what she called 'Outer', ' _I collected every memory we made and locked it securely away so that nothing would touch it. Except for me._ '

' _This was a failsafe, in case you ever got so badly hurt that you would lose your memories," Inner Sakura said as she started to unlock the chains, 'this will take some time. But you'll remember everything… even the memories we leant about Naruto's past and future.'_

Inner Sakura wondered how her Outer would handle having three sets of memories; one being her original life in Konoha, the other being the memories she gained about Naruto's life, and then there were her new memories in this new life.

' _I remember I was sleeping, and then something shook me awake,'_ the Inner Sakura thought to herself _, 'maybe it was that jutsu you used. Whatever it is, we need to get back to our life… our original life somehow.'_

Inner Sakura unlocked the fifth chain, the lock dropping on the floor as she thought,  _'I wanna go home. I want to say sorry to Naruto. I want to… I want to just… I don't know what I want to do, but I wanna start by saying sorry to him.'_

As she began unlocking the sixth chain, Inner Sakura thought _, 'Let's find a way home, Outer.'_

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Sakura's Mindscape.**

While Inner Sakura was continuing to unlock the safe containing her Outer's locked memories, she was going through Sakura's new memories of what happened after the Kyuubi's assault on Konoha. It would be accurate to say that she was stunned, especially since the last thing she remembered was watching Obito force out the Kyuubi from Kushina after killing Minato and Naruto.

And then there was darkness.

She felt as if she was put to sleep; getting close to 'awakening' once again a few times before she fully awakened some time ago. She sensed reality had shifted, but she could not understand how far it had shifted for her 'Outer'. After establishing contact with Sakura, the Inner began unlocking the memories that were locked safely away in the event of an emergency.

And now, as Inner continued unlocking the safe holding Sakura's memories, Inner started to feel there was something very wrong. It would be a few seconds later that she discovered what was so wrong, she had been Sakura's repressed self ever since Sakura was a little girl. So Inner knew Sakura's mindscape intimately. However, the mindscape she was in now was very different than the one she knew.

As she continued to unlock the safe, Inner couldn't see or feel anything familiar. No matter how much she searched Sakura's mindscape while going through her memories, Inner couldn't find that familiar sense of self that indicated she and Sakura were one.

Everything was different.

'This isn't the Sakura I've been with since the beginning,' Inner realized as she momentarily stopped unlocking the safe and stepped back in surprise, 'oh my God, where's…' Inner closed her eyes and went through Sakura's memories again, and there was nothing to indicate anything that this mindscape represented the very same mindscape of the Sakura she had grown up with since childhood.

No, this was a very different mindscape, of a very different Sakura.

'Then the Sakura I know… was never born?' Inner placed her hands over her mouth in shock, 'or she was wiped out from this reality… then… Oh God… if she was wiped out then technically she's…'

Inner fell on her knees as realization hit like a ton of bricks.

Sakura, at least the one she knew, was dead. She had no idea how she came to be in this new Sakura since the circumstances of their history was completely different. Inner shook her head as tears flowed down her cheeks. She saw memories, which were already leaking out into Sakura's mind when she first discovered the safe, flow out faster into the mindscape. Inner's thoughts went to Sasuke – the boy she and Sakura loved- and wondered how he would feel if he found out that the Sakura he knew was gone.

'How would Naruto feel?'

"Sakura-chan!" Inner looked up as the leaking memories formed an image of Naruto rubbing the back of his head, and a grin on his face, "let's go on a date!" And then even more memories started to form in front of Inner.

"Those who break the rules of the Ninja are trash, but those who don't cherish their friends are worse than trash."

"I want to kill a certain man."

"Sakura-chan!"

"I want your everlasting regrets."

Inner shook her head. This may not be her Sakura, but she was still in her mind. For all intents and purposes the two of them were together in this. And Inner needed to help this Sakura regain the memories of the other Sakura – if only to keep the thought of Sasuke and Naruto alive in some form. In addition, she did not want people like Shino, Ino, and Shikamaru o be forgotten.

She also thought, while getting up to her feet while surrounded by memories, that there had to be a way to change things.

'Maybe that stupid Old Hag, if we can find her again… we could force her to change things.'

But for now, there were more important things to worry about. From what she had seen in Sakura's memories, humanity was fighting a losing battle. Inner didn't know if she was thrown back in time, or pushed to another dimension. What she did know was that everyone would die unless something was done.

As she started to take a step towards the partly opened safe, Inner felt strange. She looked down and could see that she was beginning to be absorbed into Sakura's mind. She wasn't going to be remaining a separate entity, at least not for long, And that, surprisingly, made her proud.

It meant that this Sakura didn't need her as the other Sakura did. It meant this Sakura was fully capable of handling her emotions.

So, before she could fade away completely and be absorbed into Sakura's mind, Inner ran to the doors of the safe and began hurriedly unlocking the chains. Once the last lock and chain fell away, Inner jumped back and watched the doors swing open as years of memories rushed out. Memories of Sakura's, her Sakura's, past was absorbed into the new Sakura's mind. Memories of that future the old Sakura had seen, thanks to the machinations of the old woman, were also absorbed into her mind.

"But you need a trigger to remember them all, Sakura," Inner whispered as she slowly vanished, "remember, Sakura. You need to remember. Get us away… get us away."

And Inner was gone. Absorbed into Sakura's mind which was now categorizing the memories into three distinct sections; her alternate past and present, her current past and present, and the memories of the future shown to her by the old woman.

Inner was gone now, all that remained was Sakura.

**Sakura's Room, Main Uzumaki residence.**

Three open boxes remained open on the table while Sakura was putting on her black undershirt and full length leggings. The remains of her lunch – some bits of edamame remained in one box, while some remains of soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger remained, along with bits of rice, in the other two boxes.

After her lunch, Sakura began putting on the regulation uniform for the Uzu shinobi forces. She was already a Genin, and even so… since it was a time of war, all shinobi were required to wear light armour when they went out of missions. She was supposed to meet with her teammates, Hinata Hyuuga – the current heiress of the Hyuuga clan. The current leader being her mother, Hyuuga Kimiko. Also in the team was the Inuzuka clan heir, Kiba and his pup Akamaru. They were born around the same time, Hinata born three months after the exodus from Konoha, and Kiba born two months later.

As she slipped the metal arm protector over her forearm, Sakura thought back to that vision of the three people on that unknown bridge. Sakura was certain that one of them looked just like her, except the girl in that vision was slightly younger and had long hair; she could tell that the dark-haired boy was an Uchiha based off the fan symbol on the back of his shirt. But it was the blonde with his grin and deep blue eyes that had her stomach in knots.

'I know that bridge is nowhere in Uzu, and I know that I have never met those two boys," Sakura thought back to what she had seen in the sushi shop, 'and that girl looked just like me. It was an uncanny similarity.' She was confused about what she had seen, but thought it best to wait before telling Kushina about what she had seen in the event her adopted mother thought that the pink-haired girl was insane.

'They are about my age, and I would remember them… I mean if we grew up together, then I should know them,' Sakura thought to herself before mentally reminding herself that there were no Uchiha out on missions that fateful night. Everyone was in the village that day it was destroyed; all in all, about forty Uchiha survived the destruction of Konoha. And out of that, there were only ten who were of the police force, and not one in the Shinobi forces.

Unfortunately, only two Uchiha had the Sharingan activate the day of Konoha's destruction; Uchiha Itachi – he witnessed the death of his beloved baby brother after he was tossed to the ground after a Tailed Beast Bomb blew up a section of the Uchiha District. The baby Sasuke was crushed beneath a tumbled building. And the second Uchiha to have the Sharingan was Uchiha Shishui – he not only witnessed the death of his parents, but was also trapped under rumble with them until he was dug out by Sarutobi Asuma and his team after Konoha was destroyed.

And the two of them were already on the way back from Kiri with their teams.

Sakura could tell that the mystery Uchiha was handsome, there was no question. But her thoughts were more focused towards the blonde-haired boy with the Uzumaki symbol on the back of his orange and bright blue jacket. And then she remembered the Konoha headband around the heads of the three children, 'but then again, Kushina-sama told me that many clothing in Konoha would have the Uzumaki symbol stitched somewhere since the Uzumaki and the Senju are distant cousins, and Konoha wanted to honour that alliance by placing the symbol on sections of the village and on clothing."

Sakura then reached for the earrings she was wearing and her finger's brushed against the metal on her earlobe, 'even the Konoha symbol is a combination of the leaf and spiral' She mentally told herself that the residents of Uzu, especially those from Konoha, still wore their Konoha headbands as a way to honour their old village. It would be the new generation, children like Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba, who wore the Uzu Spirals on their headbands. However, they still had a memento of Konoha in the shape of its symbol that were on the earlobes of both boys and girls.

Sakura closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She must have seen that blonde boy from somewhere, 'I was there too… but I don't remember that bridge… well, there are the four bridges that connect Uzu from both banks of the Habashi River, but no… that bridge isn't from here.'

And there was that mystery voice that called itself 'Inner'. Sakura was nervous about that voice in her head, 'I know I'm not going crazy.' She then breathed out slowly and calmly, 'the things that voice said. Something about an old hag, about something wrong with reality, and then there's the part she spoke about the Academy. What Academy is the talking about?'

Her armour already covering her arms, legs, and chest, Sakura turned her head to look out the window at the clear day as the sun shone down on the island. Kushina and the village Elders had already made the announcement that war was the horizon, and that everyone needed to be prepared.

The seals in the waters around the island were being strengthened, and several layers of barriers were in the process of being placed from the edges of the island all the way to around the Hidden Village. The thought of a war brought Sakura's mind to that blonde boy again, there was something about him that she couldn't explain. Something that made her heart race, along with a very strange feeling of wanting to slap the upside of his head. A part of her felt annoyed at the boy for some unknown reason, but another part of her wondered how that boy would like to go out for some ramen or sushi sometime.

Shaking her head before turning back towards the mirror as she reached down to the small table to her left. She picked up the Uzu forehead protector and tied it around the forehead while continuing to wonder, 'Who are you? Why did I see you?' That blonde boy's face in her mind, Sakura closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She wanted to calm herself before the mission to save Jiraiya when suddenly she felt lightheaded.

When she opened her eyes, Sakura was met with a surprising sight.

"Forehead, forehead, you have a large forehead!" a girl with blue and purple hair yelled while Sakura was surrounded by two other girls with sneers plastered on their faces. She didn't recognize any of them, and she couldn't raise her arms to push them away from her. Instead, she just watched as the one in the middle with brown eyes, purple and blue hair poked her forehead repeatedly with her forefinger as she taunted, "look at that forehead. It so huge… who could ever like something like you, huh?"

"Please stop," Sakura heard herself whimper, she felt her lips moving but she wasn't in control. It was like being in a vivid dream but she was just a passenger in her own body. She had no idea who these girls were but, at the same time, she knew their names – Ami, Tetsu, and Ayumi. She felt scared of Ami, but Sakura knew there was no reason that she should be scared. After all, she never met Ami or the other girls.

Sakura heard herself whimpering at the girls to stop as Ami stopped poking her forehead and then began to harshly pull her pink hair while making fun of it. Sakura wanted to shout… she wanted to control her arms so that she could punch the girl in front of her. True she had a big forehead and bright pink hair, but it was Kushina who told her not to listen to the taunts that some of the children were throwing her way in Uzu because of the colour of her hair and her large forehead.

**Sakura: 3 years old.**

"But Kushina-mama," Sakura mumbled one night when she was three years old while being tucked into bed by the redhead, "they…" Sakura was fidgeting with strands of her pink hair in between her fingers, her eyes glancing down at the tips before looking back up into Kushina's eyes, "they said my hair…" she sniffed, "and my forehead… they…"

"They're just jealous," Kushina huffed as she sat on the bed, her body facing Sakura before leaning forward and reaching out with her left hand so that she could brush aside the pink hair covering Sakura's forehead, "for one thing, they are jealous of your hair. It's very unique."

"But…"

"Did I ever tell you I never liked my hair?" Sakura was surprised at that revelation. She opened her eyes wide in surprise while her mouth was formed into an 'O' shape. It was something she didn't know, so she shook her head. It was then that Kushina told Sakura about how she was bullied in Konoha's Ninja Academy for her red hair, "because of my round face and red hair, I was called a ripe tomato."

Sakura giggled when Kushina spoke about how she would pay back the ones who made fun of her by beating them up, "they stopped calling me a tomato, and instead I was known as the Red Hot Habanero." Sakura laughed at how Kushina shook her fist in the air, the vein on the back of her hand rising against her skin.

After a few seconds of grumbling "oh I got them really good", Kushina put her hand down and gave Sakura a small smile, "the only person I ever loved was the same person who said he liked the colour of my hair."

Sakura listened intently to how Kushina didn't think much of Minato when she first arrived at the Academy, and laughed when the redhead said she thought he was too girlish. Sakura listened as Kushina then spoke about the fateful day when she was kidnapped by Shinobi from Kumogakure. Sakura listened as a small smile and a far-way look was painted on Kushina's face while she spoke about picking out stands of her own hair and then dropping it to the dirt covered ground, about how she lost hope the closer she got to the border.

"I was so exhausted, 'ttebane," Kushina smiled as she looked back up at Sakura, "that I didn't notice the Kumo-nin getting picked off one by one. All I thought was that I was alone. I was a foreigner in Konoha and so no one would miss me."

Sakura looked on as Kushina leaned towards her, "it was like one of the books… one of those romance novels. It was dark, and then suddenly the moon shined though the trees and reflected onto Minato who was standing in front of me. He took out the Kumo-nin single handedly." Sakura chuckled when Kushina blushed as she said, "I was so tired, so he picked me up in his arms and… and he rescued me."

Sakura stared in awe at the dreamy look on Kushina's face, "I wondered how he found me. Then I looked at his hands and saw strands of my hair… he found them, and followed the trail. He said my hair was unique… the hair that caused me so much trouble was unique to him. He said he loved it. It became my 'red string of fate' and brought me the one man I ever loved."

Kushina wiped the tears gathering in her eyes as she thought of that fateful night before reaching out and stroking the pink-haired girl's cheeks, "I think your hair will be the string that connects you to the person you'll love. Just as mine connected me to Minato."

Sakura just nodded her head as a small smile developed on her face.

"As for your forehead?" Kushina said, and the smile on Sakura's lips vanished, "the other children may see a large forehead, but what I see is…" Kushina leaned forward even more, her arms up by her side, her fingers curled inwards as her eyes narrowed and her voice deepened, "a larget target for me to kiss while I tickle You!"

Sakura laughed hysterically as Kushina tickled her sides while her lips were kissing all over the little girl's forehead. After a minute of hysteria, Kushina stopped and gave Sakura a kiss on her cheek before pulling back, "you don't have to worry about finding your Minato. You and the other children are still… well… children, 'ttebane. Enjoy your childhood, and then when you begin training to become a Ninja, concentrate on that."

She kissed Sakura's cheek again before saying, "you'll find the boy you're meant to be with, Sakura-chan."

"I wanna Minato-papa and papa, 'ttebane," Sakura giggled while referring to the Yondaime and her biological father. All Kushina could do was laugh before telling Sakura it was time to go to sleep. Sakura nodded her head before asking for another story, this time she wanted a story about her biological mother and father; both of whom Kushina had known in her Academy days. Kushina chuckled before she began talking about Haruno Mebuki, and how she met her husband.

**Now.**

Sakura was reminded of that night as she listened to Ami taunting her in her dream, 'it's not a dream, 'ttebane,' Sakura thought to herself, 'I don't know what this is.' Suddenly, there was a yell from behind Ami.

"Hey! Get away from her!"

Sakura felt a feeling of relief rush through her as the girls turned around and growled at the blonde who couldn't be more than six years old. Sakura opened her eyes in recognition of the boy, he was a younger version of the boy on the bridge. Sakura's eyes were drawn to the three whisker marks on each cheek as the three girls glared at him.

"What do you think you're doing, 'ttebayo!?"

'ttebayo?' Sakura thought to herself, 'that's like Kushina-sensei's and my verbal tick.' She stared at the boy, and still couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with him. It was as if his name was right at the edge of her mind, and the more she reached for it, the more it slipped away.

"Why you little snot nosed…" Ami growled before Sakura saw one of the girls, Tetsu, grab Ami's shoulder and whisper in her ear with a look of scorn on her face.

"It's him… the one our parents told us to avoid."

Sakura saw the three girls stiffen slightly before looking back at her, with Ami saying, "it's your lucky day, Pinkie." Sakura wanted to say that they were cowards themselves for being afraid of a little boy… a boy whose eyes she locked with her own once Ami and her accomplishes were gone.

'Who are you?' Sakura thought to herself as the boy stared at the girls running away before he looked over at Sakura with a wide smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a childish squeak. Sakura felt herself nodding her head as he continued.

"My name is Uzu…."

"Sakura!" Sakura stared at the surprise, and then sudden look of fear, on the boy's face, before she looked up to see two people. One was a man with wild light red hair in a strange style – like a Sakura flower – and a light blonde-haired woman rushing towards her. The woman was in a white qipao dress while the man was in loose shirt and slacks as they ran past the boy. The woman picked her up in her arms while saying, "Sakura, how could you just run away from us like that. We told you to stay close."

'Who are you?' Sakura thought as she looked at the woman before turning her head towards the man standing protectively in front of them and yelling at the boy.

"Get out of here! Go!" He was waving his arm as if he was trying to 'shoo' away an animal, "get out of here! Get away!"

"I…" the boy was about to say when he was shouted out.

"I said leave! Stay away from our daughter!"

'Daughter?' Sakura thought while she stared at the look of utter despondency on the boy's face. She wanted to shift her eyes towards the man claiming to be her father, but she couldn't. Her eyes were fixed on the boy's trembling lips as her mother joined in the yelling. It didn't take too long before the boy turned and ran, yelling out that he was going to be the Hokage one day and that everyone would then acknowledge him as a strong ninja.

Sakura watched the boy as he ran towards a shop before turning. As he did so, he looked back over his shoulders at her. And her heart broke at the tears that were falling down his whiskered cheeks. All she wanted to do was leap out of her 'mother's' embrace and chase after him, all she wanted to go was grab him and then hold onto him while demanding to know why he was being yelled at when he did nothing at all to deserve it.

"Did he hurt you, Sakura!" the woman claiming to be one of her parents said, her voice full of worry, "are you hurt? Did he…"

"Ami and the girls bullied me and.. and he scared them away…" Sakura heard herself whispering, she couldn't help the tears flowing down her cheeks at hearing the anger in her parents' voices when they spoke to the boy.

Her mother pressed her lips together as the man took her into his arms, his eyes showing relief that Sakura was safe as he said, "stay away from that boy. He's…"

"He helped me, papa."

"Sakura," the woman barked, causing Sakura to flinch slightly while the man sighed, "that boy is no good. Do you understand me?" Sakura's bottom lip trembled before the woman's facial features softened. And then she gently said, "we're your parents, Sakura. It's our job to make sure you're safe, and that boy is bad. A very bad influence… promise me you will stay away from him."

Sakura turned her head towards the direction the boy ran towards; he vanished into the night. Then Sakura snapped her eyes open, only to find herself lying on the floor in her room. Sakura gasped, as if she was holding in her breath, and sat up panting while placing a hand on her chest. She could feel her heart racing as the image of the boy burned into her brain, as did the image of the man and woman who claimed to be her parents.

But Sakura had never seen the man and woman before, 'although they fit Sensei's description of my parents. But how is that possible? How can I dream about a situation I never went through? And that blonde boy, who is he?' Suddenly there was a knock-on Sakura's door, bringing the girl out of her thoughts as a gentle female voice spoke, "Sakura-san, are you okay, we're late for the briefing with Kakashi-sensei."

Sakura shook her head as she got back onto her feet, 'how long was I out?' Sakura was wondering before she verbally answered Hinata, "I'm okay, Hinata, sorry I lost track of time." Sakura turned towards the door before she rushed towards it, opened the door, and then stepped out into the hallway. She nodded her head at Hinata with a grin on her lips before her eyes shifted towards Kiba.

"Damn it, Sakura. You sure took your own sweet time."

And then the small puppy resting on Kiba's head, just under his hoodie, gave off a soft bark.

"Kiba-kun!" an exasperated Hinata cried out as Sakura smirked with her hands on her hips as the door to her room closed shut.

"She knows she's late, Hinata," Kiba said with a shrug before his eyes shifted towards Sakura, "right, ugly?"

Sakura's left eye twitched at the words of the boy who was always with Hinata. He continued, "we were supposed to leave ten minutes ago. Kakashi sensei's waiting for us, so let's go."

Sakura had a wide grin on her face before she shrugged, turned around, and then then started walking down the hallway. In the meantime, she looked over her shoulder and said, "come on then 'ttebane. Let's go, Hinata. Let's go, dog boy."

Sakura knew about the Inuzuka clan from her studies; they bred dogs with whom they shared a special, primal, connection. Many of the dogs the clan bred died during the destruction of Konoha by the Kyuubi, leaving only a few pups and adults who then joined in the exodus from what remained of Konoha. She then continued slowly walking away while Hinata held back Kiba – the poor girl struggling to pull him away while his arms were outstretched towards Sakura and his face twisted in anger at being called 'dog boy'.

"Sakura-san," whined Hinata as she took a few steps back, her arms wrapped around Kiba's chest from the back, forcing him to step back as well, "please don't call him Dog Boy. It's kind of troublesome to hold him back every time." Sakura stopped, and then turned around once again with an apologetic expression towards Hinata. She then turned her head towards the anger on Kiba's face. Sakura tilted her head, and then stuck her tongue out before she spun around and started walking down the hallway again. Sakura chuckled as Kiba became much angrier before he started to scramble towards Sakura, with Hinata struggling to keep him at bay.

"Let me go, Hinata!" Kiba cried as he continued to try and pounce onto Sakura, but was being held back by the girl he had a crush on. Sakura stopped and then turned around once again with her hands on her hips and smirked at the boy with the white puppy resting on his head.

"Not until you calm down," Hinata said with a gentle tone in her voice; a tone that belied the hold of iron she had on Kiba that was keeping him back. She then sighed, "why do you always fall for her calling you that name? Why make it so easy to piss you off, Kiba-kun?"

Sakura heard what Hinata said, and sighed. Kiba was always short tempered ever since they were children. It was a temper that was lessened over time, but Sakura believed it was because of the Inuzuka nature – they were so connected to the primal part of themselves that sometimes they couldn't control their anger. And Kiba was one such Inuzuka – it wasn't until his mother, Tsume, handed him a pup named Akamaru that Kiba started to calm down even more. Sakura stared at the puppy sitting on top of his head barking softly at her. Sakura found the puppy adorable as she grinned at it.

And then there was Hyuuga Hinata. When she was still in her mother's womb, she and most of her family were visiting a vassal outside Konoha, so they were not present during the Kyuubi attack. That still didn't stop the vast majority of her clan, including her father, being wiped out. Where once there were only about six thousand members of the Hyuuga, both Branch and Main house, now there was only a hundred including Hinata's immediate family. There were no more distinctions now, even those who had the caged bird seal were seen as equals given the damage taken by the clan; and it was all thanks to the work of Hinata's mother that the Hyuuga were now at peace with each other. It was learning about what happened that fateful day that forced Hinata to grow out of her shell when she was a child, and focus on her clan techniques to protect her family after making their home on Uzu.

"Here all of you are," Sakura turned around at the male voice while Kiba reluctantly stopped his petulant actions, causing Hinata to breathe a sigh of relief as she let go of the boy she had a crush on for years. It was something that Sakura found hilarious – Kiba had a crush on Hinata, and Hinata had a crush on Kiba. However, the two were oblivious to each other's feeling, even though it was obvious to everyone else. There was an ever-increasing betting pool on when the two would declare their love for each other – with Sakura betting that the two of them would be going on their first date after the war.

Sakura looked up at the grey haired, onyxed eyed man with his forehead protector at an angle over his left eye. Technically, the man didn't need to cover his left eye since Obito ripped out his Sharingan, but he still did it as a matter of habit despite the eye patch.

"The three of you are late, we were supposed to meet at the main entrance ten minutes ago."

Sakura sighed before apologizing, "sorry, Kakashi-sensei. It was my fault. I… well… I had a weird daydream while putting on my armour and…" Sakura wondered if it would be better to say that she passed out on her floor, only to wake up when Hinata and Kiba came calling. In the end, she decided not to say anything, at least not yet. Not until she returned from the mission, 'then I'll go see Kushina-sama and talk to her about my… can I even call it a dream? Or a vision? Yeah, it was a vision I guess.'

Realizing that she needed to finish her sentence, Sakura quickly added, "I was just daydreaming about what we'd all be doing after this war is over."

"Let's rescue Jiraiya-sama first. As always, we take it one day at a time," Kakashi said. Sakura noticed the wistful look in his eye before he shook his head and gave a smile beneath the mask he wore, "Oh, I heard you completed the Hiraishin."

"You completed the Jutsu?" a surprised Hinata interrupted their Sensei who had a small smile on his face visible from under his mask. Sakura then glanced at Hinata and Kiba with a sheepish look before they started walking behind Kakashi, "Sakura-san, why didn't you say anything?"

"Not bad, ugly," Kiba smirked as Sakura's eyebrows twitched. He patted the pink haired girl's left shoulder and said, "good thing too, which means you can get us from here to the mainland…" Kiba snapped his fingers, "just like that… you know, in a blink of an eye."

Sakura frowned at Kiba before her eyes shifted towards Hinata and said, "I just completed one hiraishin jump, technically it's not fully completed yet since I was cut up a little bit."

"Kushina-sama says you should be doing fine for this mission, it's just a rescue mission, no fighting whatsoever," Kakashi said as he lead the three Genin down the hall, "Sakura, I want your honest opinion of your own skill level when it comes to the HIraishin. Depending on your answer, I'll have to change plans when it comes to Jiraiya-sama's rescue."

"Understood," Sakura said.

"Go on."

And Sakura began. She explained how she was able to transport herself through the Time-Space tunnel from one edge of the island towards the other furthest shore of the island. She said that her chakra levels hadn't dropped significantly during that test, and that she was able to form her chakra markers before throwing them towards her targets nearly instantaneously, "creating the markers, and then having them attuned to my own chakra was the first step, Sensei. I can generate one after another with very little chakra use now."

"How confident are you in transporting six people back to the island at one go?"

"The principle is the same, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said as they walked down the stairs to the ground floor, "I'll tag all of you…" It was then that Akamaru barked, "yes, even you Akamaru." Sakura then continued to say, "the markers are made of pure chakra, my chakra. It's low enough not to be found out by the target or any sensors, but high enough that I can sense it within a certain range. Once I place it in you, it'll circulate with your own chakra. It would permeated your muscles, organs, and your bones. And all that would happen in the space of a few seconds."

"So unlike Minato-sensei's markers when he placed them on a person…."

"Mine leaves no sign that it was even there," Sakura said, "I've tested it on a few dozen people already, and I can feel my chakra in their bodies, despite there being no markings on their bodies." She then gave a small smirk, "and I know that four of them are on the other end of the village."

"Large range," Kiba said while Akamaru barked.

"When I throw the markers at an inanimate object, it just forms an invisible tag," Sakura shrugged, "I'll end up when the tag is located. But for any living thing like a human being, I'll end up where-ever I want to."

"Theoretically," Kiba said.

"I've done it," Sakura said, "this morning was the first long-range test. It was successful but…"

Hinata glanced at the cut on Sakura 's cheek, one she hadn't seen yesterday, and said, "you received a cut?" Sakura looked over at her before nodding her head.

"Short range travel is less risky than long range," Sakura said, "I didn't get any cuts when I performed short-ranged tests. The first long range test this morning was another story, I got cuts on my skin where it wasn't covered…"

"And the places that were covered?"

"My shirt and leggings were cut."

"So, is this safe, or not?" Kiba asked while Akamaru barked out the same question.

Sakura nodded her head before saying, "I know I can take all of us through a long range Hiraishin… but I'd prefer if we made short-range hops once we rescue Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi nodded his head as the group exited the Uzumaki residence and stood at the entrance to the large mansion.

"Let's go then."

"Okay," Sakura nodded her head.

"Understood," the short haired Hyuuga said.

"Sure," Kiba shrugged while Akamaru gave off a bark.

Kakashi then turned to Sakura and asked, "have you placed your markers all over the island." Sakura nodded her head before Kakashi asked, "can you take us directly to the entry way checkpoint?"

"It's better if we hop from here to the main gate, and then from there to the First Pass checkpoint, and then to the Entry Way Checkpoint," Sakura said while she waved her hand across her teammates, "you're all marked now."

"And your markers can't be seen," Kakashi said.

"I can feel it," Sakura said, "just as I can feel the markers I placed around the island. As long as I can sense my chakra, I can come directly to you or get us away in an emergency to anywhere I placed a tag. At least that's the theory."

"I have faith in you, Sakura-san."

"Oh God, both Akamaru's life and mine are in the hands of a theory," Kiba groaned while Kakashi gave an eye smile towards the group.

"Ready?" Sakura said before she smirked. Hinata nodded her head, as did Kakashi followed by Kiba and Akamaru. Sakura then locked onto the chakra circulating in their chakra network before the group vanished in a flash of pink.

**Land of Fire.**

Jiraiya remembered the very moment he heard of the destruction of Konoha. He was in Iwa after hearing rumors that the Tsuchikage was building up a force to begin attacking the border towns of the Land of Fire. He had already intercepted a bird heading in the direction of Kumo which confirmed just as such – the Tsuchikage wanted both Iwa and Kumo to join together to take down their common enemy.

Konoha.

In his room at a cheap hotel, Jiraiya was asleep when there was a pop sound indicating the return of one of his summons'. He opened his bleary eyes into narrow slits as he turned his head towards the offending 'pop' and grumbled, "what do you want? You were supposed to send the message to Minato and…"

"Konoha's gone."

Those two words from the toad had Jiraiya hurried sitting up while the small creature was saying how he ended up in the rubble of the Hokage Tower before he went on a quick recon mission. Jiraiya was stunned while putting his clothes on, in the meantime, the toad continued to say that he couldn't sense anyone living beings close by. Once Jiraiya was ready, he left the hotel. Once he was just outside the Iwa border, the Sannin summoned Gamabunta before the two of them made their way to the destroyed village.

Now, as Jiraiya stopped to rest at the side of a think trunked tree, he weaved hand signs before activating a jutsu he developed long ago that made him invisible to even enhanced human senses, most of the doujutsu, and sensors. It was the very Jutsu he developed to aid in his 'research' activities that got him close enough to Konoha where he discovered that Obito obtained the two-tails and that Iwa was now completely and utterly destroyed.

The last he heard from his spy network before it was brought down was that Obito gathered his forces in Konoha. However, before he could find out why Obito needed the ruins of Konoha when there were simpler ways to get to Uzu, Jiraiya was discovered. Jiraiya knew he was outnumbered, and so he ran as fast as he could out of the village; saying goodbye to the place that was once his home one more time.

And now, he was still far away from the coast line of the Land of Fire. He didn't think he would make it given that he could feel the chakra of the White Zetsu's following him. With the jutsu activated, Jiraiya was certain the White Zetsu's couldn't sense him. However, he could only keep it active for about thirty minutes due to the intense chakra needed to maintain the jutsu.

Sighing, Jiraiya leaned back against the tree trunk, 'let me regain my breath. And then I'll move after ten minutes. This time I'll have to go faster just to keep in front of the force coming after me, and…'

Suddenly there was a flash of yellow to Jiraiya left. Turning his head, he was surprised to find Kakashi with Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru, as well as the girl he considered himself to be a step-godfather, Sakura.

"His scent led us here, but now I'm getting nothing…" Kiba said while Jiraiya stared at Sakura whose cheeks had thin lines of blood that she wiped off with the back of her gloved hand.

A small smile formed on his face as he realized that Sakura managed to recreate the Hiraishin.

"Where is that pervert?" Sakura said with her hands on her hips as Jiraiya deactivated the Jutsu and rose up to his feet.

"Hey! How can you call your godfather a pervert?!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched as Jiraiya sauntered towards the group while Kakashi had Hinata activate her Byakugan to search for Jiraiya pursuers.

"If it walks like a duck…" Sakura said narrowing her eyes at Jiraiya, "if it quacks like a duck, and if the duck happens to be you, then you're a pervert 'ttebane." Sakura then rushed towards the man and hugged him tight, "we were worried about you, you old perv." She let Jiraiya go and stepped back as as the Sannin placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"So this was the special training Kushina was talking about?"

A small smile formed on Sakura's face before she nodded her head. She then turned towards Hinata who gasped while her Byakugan was active.

"What do you see, Hinata?" Kakashi asked.

"A lot of the enemy is coming this way and…"

It was just then that Sakura felt a chill going up and down her spine. It was all instinct as she hiraishined herself to a spot just behind Jiraiya just as another figure appeared through another time-space tunnel. Sakura saw this figure had blonde hair, greyish eyes, a cloak lined with orange flames as time slowed to a crawl just as her fist connected with the side of the figure's jaw. Thanks to training from Tsunade, Sakura's chakra enhanced punch threw back the figure that appeared out of the tunnel and slammed him into another tree trunk. She landed on the ground before she jumped back and formed up with her team and Jiraiya.

The five of them stared stunned at the figure who was getting up from the impact through the shattered trunk as if nothing had happened. However, it wasn't that he was getting up from one of Sakura's chakra enhanced punches that had them surprised; no, what surprised them was the figure himself.

Namikaze Minato; the Yondaime.

"What the…" Kakashi shook his head in disbelief while Jiraiya glared at Minato as he stared at them without any expression on his face, "sensei?" Minato shifted his greyish eyes towards Kakashi before he turned his gaze on Jiraiya, and then at the other shinobi.

"His skin… his skin is cracked," Hinata whispered as she had her arms in a defensive jyuken position while her Byakugan was active, "I can see his chakra pathways and… and the flow is strong. How can that be?"

"Sensei," Kakashi said, his hand tightening around his Kunai's handle, "you…"

Suddenly, another figure landed next to Minato… a figure that surprised Kakashi even more as he stepped back… his arms trembling. Even Jiraiya was in disbelief as he whispered, "what the hell is going on here?" The three Genin were confused at the brown-haired female, her cheeks marke with purple tattoo's, who couldn't be more than fifteen-year-old.

"Rin?" Kakashi said shaking his head in disbelief.

"Who is she, Kakashi-sensei?" Kiba asked as Akamaru growled from the top of his head.

"The girl is… is Nohora Rin, my dead teammate," Kakashi whispered as the grey eyed Rin turned her head towards him. Kakashi thought he saw a flash of recognition on her face before it was gone.

"Well, well," the air next to Rin and Minato swirled around before Obito, now unmasked, appeared with a sneer on his face. He shifted his eyes towards Kakashi and chuckled before saying, "looks like it's a reunion of Team Seven."

"Obito! What did you do?!" Kakashi demanded as his disbelief gave way to anger.

"You couldn't… this is the Edo-Tensei, it.. it's a forbidden jutsu… how could you?" Jiraiya whispered shaking his head while Kakashi growled.

Kakashi then barked out, "they were our friends and teammates. How dare you…."

"Why do you think I chose Konoha as my base," Obito said as three more figures appeared next to Team Seven. Three figures that surprised Kakashi and his team.

"The Shodai-sama, Niidaime-sama," Jiraiya then laid his eyes on the next figure, and the Sannin's face was etched in pain, "sensei." He shook his head at the sight of his reanimated sensei, the Sandaime, and then glared back towards Obito, "how dare you…. How dare you…"

"Konoha is the village with the most powerful Shinobi, and I've raised them all," Obito said excitedly, "I was going to surprise Kushina with Minato-sensei, but Jiraiya-sama coming over to spy on my operations in Konoha advanced my timetable."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"But, oh well…" Obito shrugged, "can't have you going back and warning the others, now can we?" Obito had a sneer on his face before nodding at the Niidaime and the Yondaime, "kill them all."

"Sakura!"

Even before Kakashi finished yelling at her to take them away, Sakura locked onto her team and Jiraiya – Sakura attacked a marker when she hugged him earlier – and then locked onto the marker she placed on the ground two kilometers away. And they vanished just as the Niidaime and Yondaime appeared where they were standing a second ago.

"Interesting," Obito smirked at the impassive look on the Yondaime and Niidaime's faces, "another would-be Hiraishin user. Oh well, I have the full force of the Hyuuga, the Uchiha, and every other talented Edo-Tensei ninja coming at them."

Obito chuckled before ordering a retreat to Konoha, "let the White Zetsu's soften them up before the hammer comes down on them."

TBC.


	3. Chapter 3

"Okay!" Kiba yelled out after he, Hinata, Sakura, and the others reappeared a kilometer away from where they found and then rescued Jiraiya, "what the hell just happened?!" He stumbled forward in surprise while Hinata was shaking her head in shock at what all of them had just seen and heard. Sakura turned around, the members of their party on either side of her, and stared though the trees and the undergrowth while Jiraiya and Kakashi were silent – the two in shock at seeing the edo-tensei versions of the four Hokages and Rin.

Sakura was in disbelief, her mind trying to process how it would be possible to win the upcoming war with the four Hokage on Obito's side. Then she reminded herself that it was just not the four Hokages, it was nearly every powerful shinobi that lived and died in Konoha. However, before Sakura could voice her worry, Kiba beat her to the punch.

"How… how can we win against four Hokage?!" Kiba cried out turning towards Hinata, his arms swinging wildly, and his voice getting more hysterical, "you heard that Obito bastard! He resurrected the Kage's, the most powerful ninja in Konoha, and… and who knows how many others he resurrected, and…"

"Kiba-kun!" exclaimed Hinata, breaking out of her state of shock, before she rushed over to Kiba and grabbed his arms while Akamaru barked – the latter telling his master to calm down. Sakura, Kakashi, and Jiraiya were about to say the same thing when Kiba yelled out as he stepped away from Hinata, pulling his arms away from her grasp. The sudden movement backward had him stumble back onto the ground before he looked up at Hinata.

"How can we calm down?!" he exclaimed at Hinata, and the girl flinched slightly. Sakura, scared beyond anything she ever felt as she recalled that both the Nidaime – the creator of the Hiraishin; and the Yondaime, the very man who nearly perfected it as a weapon of war, were 'alive'. She then rushed over to Hinata who was still begging Kiba to calm down.

Finally, whiel Sakura placed her hands on Hinata's shoulders, it was Kakashi who yelled out, "Kiba! Get it together!"

While Kakashi frowned beneath his mask, Jiraiya was staring out through the trees in the direction they left before turning around to the sudden quiet around him.

"This is no time to panic," Jiraiya said while wondering, with a worry that he hoped the children would not be able to see, how they were going to face this new enemy, "we have to return to Uzu, and come up with a defence." He glanced at a worried Sakura, her eyes shifting towards him. He could feel his god-daughter's apprehension, 'she knows the war has just become more complicated.'

Jiraiya then turned to Hinata who, together with Sakura, was pulling a now silent Kiba to his feet. The Hyuuga girl then stroked Kiba's arm while whispering something as he stared down at the ground; his face was red while still panting hard. Jiraiya then turned his head to Kakashi who was staring wistfully through the trees before he turned away from Jiraiya.

"Hinata," Kakashi said, his eye focused on the female Hyuuga, "I'm guessing the enemy is closer now?"

"Yes," was the reply after a few seconds of activating her Byakugan and watching the enemy – just the white zetsu – coming towards them at a high rate of speed, "I see many of the White Zetsu's coming this way. I lost count of how many there are now."

"We need to leave," Kakashi said as he turned to Sakura, "Sakura, can you extend your range to two kilometres per jump?"

Sakura nodded her head before saying, "as long as none of you get sick after the jump, then yes… I can extend the jumps to two kilometres." Sakura wondered about the amount of chakra she would need to teleport everyone in the group over the longer distance. Releasing the breath that she didn't know she was holding as she performed her mental calculations, Sakura nodded her head before saying, "but more than that may be stretching things since I'm still using a lot of chakra to get all of us through each jump."

"Then get us out of here, kid," Jiraiya said as he took one more look through the trees before turning towards Sakura, "you can rest when we get back to the island." Jiraiya then walked to the left and away from the group; he then bit his thumb before making hand seals and then slamming the bleeding hand onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

However, there was no effect; the summons was unsuccessful. Jiraiya frowned, he knew that calling Gamabunta would be unproductive since he and the other toads were needed at Uzu to shore up the defences. So, he intended to call a messenger toad to let Kushina know that they were on the way, and he also wanted to warn her and the elders about the new developments.

However, this time nothing happened. He stared at the bloody handprint on the ground before standing up and then taking a step back. He had been noticing this for a little while now. Calling the first messenger toad was difficult as it felt as if something was blocking the chakra that was needed to call the summons.

Upon hearing the sounds of hysterical laughter from the White Zetsu in the distance, Jiraiya turned back towards Sakura and said that they needed to leave. The pink haired girl nodded her head before the group of them blinked out of exitance in a flash of pink. It would be several moments later that the area where the group once stood was trampled on by the onrushing White Zetsu army.

**Uzu, few hours later.**

Kushina was concerned about many things, but there was one person that occupied her mind; Sakura. It wasn't that Sakura and her team had never left Uzu for missions, they left for many missions in the years since they graduated from the makeshift Academy. The children who survived the destruction of Konoha were the first graduates of the new Academy on Uzu, and Kushina was hoping that there would be more graduates following Obito's defeat and her sacrifice to end the war.

But a part of her still wondered if Sakura was going to be fine, especially since this was the first time she was using the Hiraishin in a combat situation. Upon thinking of the word 'combat', Kushina looked away from the scrolls, both open and closed, along the near left edge of the wooden table to the large map that covered its length and breadth.

It was a map of the entire island along with a section of the mainland closest to the northern coast. There were several dots and lines of different colours that represented the different forces station at those sections, the crosses and the stars for the offensive and defensive seals, as well as lines that represented the locations of the barriers that would defend the island and the village.

She then looked up to face Hyuuga Kimiko standing across from her, along with Sarutobi Asuma, Uchiha Kato, Nara Shikaku, Inoichi Shiran, and Senju Tsunade around the table.

They were discussing the progress on the various defensive and offensive seals being placed around the island, the staffing of the multiple shinobi placements, the civilian shelters, strategy for the coming battle, and the status of the medics – both shinobi and civilian - from the former Hidden villages that came to Uzu for refuge. With Sakura occupying her mind, a small part of Kushina's brain was processing what was being discussed by the people around her;

"The civilians are nervous; their representative wants to know when they should head into the shelters."

"The seals will take at least another day…."

"The medics we have won't be enough, but they…"

"Shishui, Itachi, and their teams should be returning soon from inspecting the coast lines, we should…."

All the voices around her were speaking as one while Kushina's mind continued to be on Sakura. She mentally repeated to herself that it was only a rescue mission and that her adopted daughter should be returning soon. However, she still felt the beginnings of a sense of dread… the same sense of dread when Minato would go off to fight in the Third Shinobi war. Closing her eyes, Kushina felt the breeze flowing in through the open windows around the curved walls of the large room which had a good view of the ocean; even the coastline of the Land of Fire was visible on such a clear day.

"Kushina-san."

Kushina opened her eyes and then turned towards the dark haired Uchiha who was scowling. She wondering how long he had been calling her name.

"It would be best to concentrate on the here and now, given we would be going into what could be the final battle of the war."

Kushina frowned at the Uchiha, one of the dead Uchiha Fugaku's friends, and then said, "I am concentrating, Kato-san. This is my home as much as it is yours, so I want to defend it." She then placed her hands on the table top and leaned forward, "don't underestimate my determination to do what has to be done to win this war 'ttebane."

"Because distractions will not help us," Kato spoke with a hardened edge while staring at Kushina. At the look of worry on Kushina's face, he then softened his tone before saying, "I know we're all worried about our children… the biological children, and those who were adopted. We are worried about the people who could not defend themselves. But zoning out will not help them."

Kushina released the breath she was holding and looked away from him and towards the violet haired Kimiko, and then at the others around the table – many of them had adopted orphans from Konoha and raised them alongside their own. All of them had loved ones they wanted to protect – this is what Kushina mentally reminded herself as she straightened her back.

"Considering the time it would take to move the civilians to the shelters, I suggest giving the order to begin evacuations," Kushina said.

Shikaku nodded his head while Asuma stared at the map before looking up at Kushina.

"I will inform the representative for the village civilians," Asuma said before looking back down at the map, "we have all the seals nearly prepared for deployment, the barrier seals have been strengthened as well, as have been the offensive ones."

The barrier and offensive seals were being placed around the island in concentric circles so that should one barrier fall due to the any enemy attack, the forces behind that barrier would have to retreat before another barrier would be activated automatically. The barriers would not allow any White Zetsu's to come through, however the worry was that too much of the army attacking the barriers would weaken them. The seals were being placed at set points from the coastlines to a kilometre outside the village itself where there would be even more traps activated by the toads who were already in place and the Uchiha clan – the former providing the fuel, and the Uchiha providing the fire for what would be the biggest bonfires in Uzu history.

Even the seals laid along the coastline and further out into the sea were ready to be used. They were ancient defences of the early residents of the island, and it was confirmed that those seals were still active. However, given that the island fell to the forces of three great nations, it was expected that those defensive and offensive seals would only slow down the enemy forces. Kushina and the others would be relying on the newer seals around the island to batter the White Zetsu army, Obito, and the Bijuu.

Kushina was certain that after her sacrifice, the Bijuu would help them. After all, Obito had enslaved them to his will. All she needed to do was place the contract seal on him, and he would lose his hold on the Bijuu; and then she would ask that the rest of Humanity be left alone before giving herself to the great beasts to be the sacrifice that would hopefully save them all.

Then it was Kimiko's turn to speak, and her voice brought Kushina out of her thoughts. "My clansmen are about to reach their surveillance points," Kimiko continued after glancing at the clock hanging on the left wall, "once they see anything unusual, they would notify the Field Commanders."

"Shikaku-san?" Kushina asked the scarred man who lost both his best friends – Inoichi and Chouza - and a majority of his clan during the Kyuubi rampage. He was the one who had come up with the defence of the village even before the messenger toad informed Kushina of Jiraiya's warning, "anything else?"

He shook his head, "we set the traps. Then order all non-essential personnel back to the borders of the village." He then looked up at Kushina, and before he could continue, there was a 'whoosh' and the sound of a thump in the middle of the room. Leaning to the side, Kushina gasped… as did the others when they turned towards the sound. Kushina dashed around the table towards Sakura, who was about to fall onto her knees if Kakashi and Jiraiya hadn't caught her.

"Sakura!"

"Hinata!" Kimiko exclaimed as she rushed to her daughter while the others followed close behind as they too rushed towards the group that arrived with Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi," Shikaku said as he stopped next to Kushina who was on her knee next to Tsunade, the latter examining Sakura who was pale and breathing hard, "what happened?"

"Sakura had to extend her Hiraishin range," Jiraiya said, his hand on the top of her head, while Kushina placed hands on both the pink haired girl's cheeks – the two locking eyes – before looking up at Jiraiya. The expression on Kushina's face was one that demanded more explanation for what was supposed to be a simple rescue mission. Jiraiya then sighed before continuing, "it's bad…. Really bad."

"Explain," Kato said.

"We rescued Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi said as he took a step forward, his eyes locked onto the Uchiha before turning towards Kushina, "but we… we encountered Obito." Before anyone could ask the questions that Kakashi knew they were about to ask, he continued, "we know why he's made a base in Konoha. He's using the Edo-tensei."

"What?" Tsunade said after having told Jiraiya, Sakura, Hinata, and a worried looking Kiba to report to the infirmary. She snapped her head towards Kakashi when he mentioned the Edo-tensei. She knew that the Edo-tensei was a forbidden technique, one that required the sacrifice of a living being to bring back the dead… at least that was the theory. She had read up on it after the death of her lover and her brother.

It was because she was even thinking about Edo-Tensei, that she left Konoha years ago and swore never to return. She knew performing that Jutsu would take a lot of herself, and both Dan and Nawaki would have never forgiven her if they discovered how they were resurrected.

'Staying in the village would have been a temptation to find that technique and use it.' Tsunade thought, her gaze returning to the exhausted Sakura.

'But now… now Obito is using that forbidden Jutsu…' Tsunade thought as she looked back up at Jiraiya looking back at her with a look of sorrow, 'there's something else he's not saying. What else happened out there?' Before Tsunade could complete her thought, Kakashi continued speaking. Her eyes broke off from Jiraiya in shock before turning towards the gasp from Kushina who covered her lips with her hands with eyes that were widened in surprise.

"He revived Rin," Kakashi said softly, "he revived the Shodaime…" Tsunade snapped her head at Kakashi upon hearing about her grandfather with eyes wide open in shock while the others mumbled words that were inaudible because of the rush of blood she could hear flowing in the veins behind her ear. She was feeling anger swelling up within her as Kakashi continued, "the Niidaime, the Sandaime, and…"

'Grandfather, grand-uncle, sensei, and…' Tsunade looked back towards Kushina in shock as realization came into her mind, 'four Hokages. Oh no…'

"No, 'ttebane," Kushina whispered shaking her head while her bottom lip trembled, "no, not…"

"And Minato-san," Sakura whispered as Kushina turned back towards her, "they were there. The four Hokages."

"She saved my life," Jiraiya said as he gently ruffled Sakura's hair; the girl's eyes looking down at the floor, "Minato was almost on me and… well, we're here now. We need to revise whatever battleplan you have."

"The four Hokages," Kato said shaking his head, "how many more…"

"He said he's resurrected, or will resurrect, every powerful member of the village… every single one of them," Hinata spoke, her voice shaking, as she emphasized the part where Obito will resurrect everyone that died in the village… including the ones who had the bloodline limits such as the Byakugan and the Sharingan, "Sakura-san extended her range to get us home as far as possible so that we could warn you."

"And it's good that you did," Kimiko said rubbing the back of her worried daughter, "we'll find a way to strengthen the…"

"Burning," Sakura whispered as she placed her hands on either side of her head, interrupting Kimiko, "my head… it's burning…."

Tsunade and Kushina turned towards Sakura whose face was slowly turning red. Kushina placed a hand on Sakura's forehead and pulled back all of a sudden, "her forehead's burning." Tsunade placed the back of her hand on the now sweat covered forehead with a look of worry… the older woman thinking that maybe this was a side-effect of using the Hiraishin without the required experience.

"How?" Sakura whispered before she closed her eyes shut, "how am I…. how am I seeing…"

"Seeing, 'ttebane?" Kushina asked, she was suddenly feeling so fearful of the future as she stared at her adopted daughter, "Sakura…"

Before Kushina could continue, Sakura opened her eyes again and whispered, "a room…. I saw a room. You were there, Kushina-sama and… and… the Yondaime was there… and…" Sakura closed her eyes as she gasped again while gritting her teeth. "AAAAH," Sakura cried out as she pressed her hands against the side of her head while Tsunade gently pulled Kushina away while telling Jiraiya to carry Sakura. Everyone stared in worry as Jiraiya crouched down and brought Sakura into his arms just as she spoke in pained gasps.

"How… how am I seeing? The Hokage mountain… the four faces… four… four faces and… and an explosion… now its covered in orange. Orange, purple, blue, green…. I…"

"What's she talking about?" Kiba asked, "what Hokage mountain? None of us have seen Hokage Mountain. That's in Konoha, and that is now Obito's launching pad for his war."

Hinata rushed towards her best friend and placed a hand on Sakura's arm while the latter was in Jiraiya's arms, "Kushina-sama, I will use my Byakugan." Kushina nodded her head before Hinata, as well as Kimiko, activated their Byakugan. Hinata shook her head before looking away and deactivating her Byakugan, "her heart is racing, her chakra pathways are being strained and… and I noticed some unusual chakra flow in her brain."

"So did I,' Kimiko said, her eyes narrowed at Sakura as she deactivated her Byakugan.

"AAAHHHH!" Sakura screamed out in pain as her body tensed up while her hands were on the sides of her head as images flooded her mind.

"How… how am I seeing this?" Sakura whimpered in pain as she closed her eyes tight while tears fell down her cheeks.

"Sakura-chan," Kushina said, her hands on Sakura's cheeks while her thumbs gently rubbed the reddish skin, "what are you seeing?"

"Sakura-chan," Sakura opened her eyes while she whispered her own name, "how can I see… how can I see this in my head…" Sakura could remember being bullied once again; her back was to a wall while three other side stood around her. Two were on either side pulling her hair so hard while the third had her finger pressed against her chest. She felt the finger digging in, as well as the other two girls pulling her long hair while rear were streaming down her cheeks. It was bright with very few clouds in the sky, Sakura could tell she was in what seemed to be an empty playground with a fence around the edges; beyond the fence she could make out people gathering around food stalls and other walking in and out of shops. She didn't recognize the place, but at the same time it was very familiar to her.

"You know," the girl who was poking her finger down on Sakura's chest sneered, "maybe we should draw something on your large forehead."

"Maybe we rip her hair out… the pink colour is so annoying," one of the girl's pulling her hair said. Sakura could feel the pull of her hair hurting her… she let off a yelp as more tears streamed down her cheeks. And then she heard a voice.

"Hey!"

It was the same male voice as earlier; when she had that 'vision' of the people she knew to be of her parents. The girl in front of her moved to one side to reveal the same boy from that night. He was blonde and had blue eyes, and was so familiar to her. Suddenly, everything spun around before she found herself seated under the bright sun on a step. She narrowed her eyes at the man leaning back against the railing several meters in front of her.

'Kakashi-sensei,' she thought before catching movement to her left. She turned her head and noticed a dark haired, but brooding boy looking away into the distance. She recognized the boy as the one she had seen in the vision she had when purchasing her sushi. She could make out the fan which identified him as being from the Uchiha clan, 'I don't know who you…' All of a sudden, his name popped into her mind.

'Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke-kun,' Sakura thought shaking her head before turning her head back towards Kakashi, 'this… I… I know now; this is Konoha but… but how can I be seeing this…'

"You…" Kakashi pointed to someone to Sakura's right. She put her train of thought on hold as she turned her head towards the blonde boy seated next to her. The boy was older than the one who she had 'seen' just now when the girls were pulling her hair… this boy was older. He looked to be about twelve years old instead of six, "your turn."

Sakura wondered what was happening as she looked back at Kakashi, 'what are you asking about…' Just then she remembered the boy's name. Her head spun back to the blonde just as he said his name while proudly grabbing the right side of the metal forehead protector with his hand.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and…"

'You will be Hokage one day,' Sakura finished what Naruto was about to say, 'how do... how can I see you… how can you be in my head when you're dead? I… how can I even know how you look like, or how you sound?'

She could barely hear Naruto's voice as he spoke about his likes, dislikes, and about his dreams. She was staring at his lips moving while the sound of her racing heart drowned out his voice.

Slowly, Sakura heard other voices as Naruto turned his head towards her. They locked eyes, and she felt her heart stop.

'You look like Minato-papa,' she thought before her eyes caught the three birthmarks on his cheeks that looked like whiskers.

"And the person I like is Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed before she heard herself yell out that she didn't like him. It was her lips moving, but Sakura wasn't speaking those words.

'Naruto,' she thought as she watched a grimacing Naruto turn towards Kakashi just as she felt someone rubbing her cheeks.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura felt herself blink before she found herself looking back at a concerned Kushina. She felt her head was still burning as she heard Kushina asking, "Sakura-chan, what happened, 'ttebane? What did you see?"

"Naruto…." Sakura whispered as she stared at a confused Kushina. Her head was still stinging as if hot pokers were being stabbed into her brain. Her whole body felt as if it was burning up, and her eyes were painful… and yet, she still whispered out, "I… I saw… Naruto, 'ttebane."

At the sight of the look of surprise on Kushina's face, Sakura felt her body give out as darkness surrounded her.

TBC.


End file.
